


Babysitting a physicist is hard

by Nightimer



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Babysitting, Fake Science, Gen, Kidnapping, Non-Consensual Spanking, Spanking, Team as Family, Trouble, Wells is pissed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:47:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24263812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightimer/pseuds/Nightimer
Summary: In order to stop a major baddie on Earth 3 from kidnapping Harrison Wells and using him to take over the city, Jay Garrick decides to whisk him away to Earth one and into the watchful care of Team Flash. Harrison is not happy about this and makes life difficult for everyone. That is until Jay decides to put a stop to it.
Comments: 43
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please excuse any mistakes, it's all in good fun. I loved season one Wells and essentially made Earth 3 that Wells, minus the whole evil alter ego. He's kind of a mix of Harrison and Harry but more so season one so hopefully that comes across. I already have more written of this story so it won't be long for the next update. Just wanted to get what I had already written out. Decided to split this one chapter into multiple ones. As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

Team flash stood in open mouthed confusion as the brilliant watery blue light of a breach snapped closed behind Jay Garrick from Earth 3. They were down in the cortex, the place they had all rushed too when the Star labs alarm had suddenly triggered. To say it was a surprise to see the older Flash would be an understatement, but it was even more so to see that he had a well dressed man slung over his right shoulder. They stared as he held up his hand to forestall their inevitable questions.

"Sorry to barge in here unannounced like this, but I needed to get Dr. Wells off my Earth and to a safe place," Jay Garrick hastily explained as he shifted the other man's weight he was currently carrying against his shoulder and back. He watched their eyes widen in surprise yet again as they shared confused looks between them. Garrick sighed, knowing that they must have been trying to figure out exactly _which_ Wells he was referring to.

" _My_ Harrison Wells, from Earth 3," he clarified, turning around so his back was to them and they could get a look at the face of the man he was carrying. He gave it a second before turning back to face them, glad to see at least _some_ of the confusion had left their troubled expressions as they had immediately recognized the face, the blue eyes, the glasses, the dark hair.

"Why is he handcuffed and…why are you carrying him?" Barry asked slowly, uncertainly, eyeing the tense form of the man over Jay's shoulder, legs locked down firmly into place by the older man's muscled arm. In the brief glance he had gotten at Wells when Jay had turned, Barry had noticed that the other man's hands were cuffed together in front of him with what looked like police issue handcuffs, his hands tightly balled into fists where they rested against Jay's back for support.

"Ah, well, he wouldn't come willingly," Jay explained somewhat sheepishly as he waited for them to decide whether or not they were going to help him or throw his ass back through the next available breach.

"And the gag?" Caitlin added, having noticed along with the rest of them the rolled white cloth between Wells' teeth, tied securely behind his head.

"And he wouldn't come _quietly_ ," he replied rather impatiently, a bit annoyed that they were focusing on the unimportant details of Harrison's appearance instead of the _reason_ he was here.

"Hold up…," Cisco interrupted, pointing a twizzler at him. "Did you just, _kidnap_ Harrison Wells?"

"Unbelievable," Iris stated disapprovingly as she crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head slowly.

"Look, I'll explain everything but first, can we take care of him?" Jay said with a nod of his head towards Harrison. "He isn't getting any lighter and I'm not getting any younger."

"Let's get him to medical," Caitlin spoke up before anyone could object, taking charge like she always did when anyone's well being was in question. "I'd like to examine him to make sure he's okay." A few small scrapes and a couple of fresh bruises on Harrison's face hadn't escaped her trained eye.

"Thank you," Jay replied as he stepped down from the platform and carried Dr. Wells past them in the direction of the medical facility located within Star Labs.

The others parted to let them pass and were treated with a clear view of Harrison's scathing glare from his undignified position face down over Garrick's shoulder. Team Flash looked at each other resignedly as they reluctantly turned to follow. Whatever the reason the two men had traveled to this Earth, Dr. Wells was clearly an unwilling participant. That did not bode well for anyone.

************************************************************************************************************************************

Jay walked over to the examination table and slid Harrison down off his shoulder, forcing the other man's rear to land on the firm mattress so Harrison was sitting on it. He quickly reached down and hooked his left arm under Wells' legs and hauled them up and over onto the mattress, causing the scientist to lose his balance and lean back against the inclined back.

The physicist immediately tried to push up and swing his legs down but Garrick clamped a heavy hand on his left thigh and placed another against his upper chest, forcing him back onto the bed. Harrison grunted in frustration and used his bound hands to try and angrily shove Jay's restraining hand off his chest, but the older man simply grabbed onto the short chain between his cuffed hands and pinned them down onto Well's lap.

"Just knock it off. I know you're angry and upset right now but I didn't have a choice," Jay admonished as he leaned into the other man's personal space. "Now Dr. Snow is going to look you over and you are going to let her. You are not getting off this bed until she says so, so the sooner you cooperate, the sooner we can move on. You know I can hold you down while she works but I would think that would be more loathsome to you then simply allowing her."

Harrison glared at him, hands clenched tightly into fists in his lap, wishing he didn't have this gag in his mouth so he could tell this overbearing, delusional dictator exactly where he could shove that ridiculous helmet of his. Cooperate _indeed_.

Movement out the corner of his eye interrupted his staring match with the older man and he turned his head slightly to track the young woman who he assumed was Dr. Snow, as she walked up to the opposite side of the bed. She smiled reassuringly at him as she gripped the low metal guard rails attached to the side.

"I just want to make sure you're not injured Dr. Wells. I'd also like to clean up those scrapes as well…if you'd let me?" She asked politely as she eyed the few marks on his face and Harrison couldn't help feeling a modicum of gratitude for her bedside manner, as well as the fact that she had been the only person in the room who had actually _asked_ him for permission instead just forcing him to submit to her ministrations.

He nodded his head stiffly as he turned back towards Garrick, pointedly looking down at his bound hands which the other man was still holding down against his lap, before meeting his gaze once more with an eyebrow raised.

Jay released his hold with look of his own before stepping back a few feet to allow Caitlin to work. He pointedly left the cuffs on. When he saw her reach out towards the cloth gag he quickly raised a hand to stall her.

"Just…leave it on for now," he told her as she looked towards him questioningly.

Harrison's glacial gaze grew even colder.

"At least until I've explained everything to you all. I've got a lot to say and I'd rather not have to explain over his rather _colorful_ take on the situation," Jay explained as he turned towards the others that had been silently watching the exchange. The slight disapproval on their faces was hard to miss. This was still Harrison Wells, even if he wasn't technically " _their_ " Wells, and he could tell they didn't like the sight of him bound and gagged like a prisoner. Jay sighed as he recalled that these people seemed to have a chronic soft spot for this man, no matter which Earth he came from.

"He's got a mouth on him," he stated impatiently, indicating the reclining man with a jerk of his thumb over his shoulder.

"Sounds like another Wells we know," Cisco quipped under his breath, silently thanking which ever God was looking over this Earth that Harry was currently back on Earth two visiting his daughter Jesse. He really didn't think he could handle two temperamental versions of Harrison Wells in the same room together.

"Jay, what is this all about?" Barry spoke up, stepping up to his father's doppelgänger. "What's going on? Why did you bring him here?"

"There's a man on my Earth. A very bad man," Jay began as he removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. He met Barry's eyes. "And he's after Harrison Wells."

Jay quickly explained that their was a powerful man named Josiah Detchwood, who in typical maniacal manner was trying to take over Central city on his Earth and possibly further by using technologically controlled meta humans as his conscripted military force. The man had developed some sort of technology that could essentially hijack a metahuman's cerebrum via the dark matter in their tissues, turning them into programable puppets. _His_ programable puppets. He had been causing major chaos within the city. But his technology wasn't working properly, his control of the meta humans unreliable, sometimes failing completely. He needed to perfect his creation but was having difficulty. He needed someone with the intelligence and technical know how to help him. And there was only one person who had those qualifications. Detchwood believed Harrison Wells was the man that could perfect his technology, and more likely then not, enhance it to where Detchwood could control non metas as well. Effectively becoming a God on Earth. And the worst part of it all was Jay knew Detchwood was right. Wells _could_ do it. Jay simply couldn't let that happen. 

"I had warned Dr. Wells about Detchwood's plans but he repeatedly brushed aside my concerns, so caught up in his own work at _Star labs_ to be bothered with anything outside his circle of research. That is until Detchwood came for him." Jay glanced behind him to where Caitlin was trying to disinfect a small shallow cut right above Harrison's left eye. Satisfied, she moved onto a deeper cut.

"Is that where he got these injuries?" Caitlin queried as she held an alcohol soaked cotton ball against Harrison's cheek bone. Wells jerked involuntarily at the pain this caused since it was a deeper scrape then the rest and raised his cuffed hands unconsciously as if to stop her.

"Settle…," Jay growled warningly and Harrison glared at him before resignedly lowering his hands, the metal links of the cuffs clinking softly.

"Sorry," Caitlin winced, trying to be a little more gentle as she cupped his chin lightly in one hand to hold his head still.

"You stopped Detchwood from taking him, didn't you?" Iris stated, coming directly to the point as she glanced back and forth between the two men.

"Yes," Jay answered with one last warning look at Wells, walking over to a nearby metal table littered with medical equipment to set his helmet down. "I was just in time. Wells was a little bruised but I was able to drag him out of there. I tried to talk some sense into him when we were far enough away from immediate danger but this Harrison Wells is _nothing_ if not stubborn," he sighed as he ran a weary hand through his short hair.

"Harrison Wells can be the _end_ of my world if Detchwood gets a hold of him. That's why I resorted to this," Jay said, once more indicating the bound scientist with a flick of his wrist, "I had to get him as _far_ away as I could. A different Earth seemed like the perfect solution. Literally a world away so to speak."

"But can't this beach wood fella just open a breach here like you did?" Cisco asked seriously, worried that an alarm of an un authorized breach would start sounding any minute.

"No," Jay reassured them, hands raised. "Detchwood doesn't have that ability, meta or technological, for the time being that is," the older speedster explained as he regarded each team member in turn. "He can't come here, you are all perfectly safe. I wouldn't put you in danger for the sake of my own world. Lord knows I owe you enough as it is," he confessed ruefully.

"Okay. We're with you. What exactly do you need from us?" Barry stated confidently to the older speedster, crossing his arms over his chest and fixing the older man with a resolute expression. It was clear that he would back the play Garrick had unceremoniously dropped in their laps, and if Barry was behind him, the others would ultimately be as well.

"It's very simple. All I need you to do is babysit," Garrick said seriously as he rested his hands on his hips.


	2. Chapter 2

Say what?" Cisco blurted out dubiously.

"Just make sure he stays here out of Detchwood's reach and doesn't get back to Earth 3 until I say." Jay clarified.

"And how long would that be exactly?" Inquired Iris as she watched Caitlin wipe gently at a small cut on Well's other cheek from over Garrick's broad shoulder.

"That…I'm not too sure about. Could be a couple days, could be a few weeks," he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"Oh brother…" Cisco moaned as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know how long it will take to bring Detchwood down," Jay explained as he looked at them imploringly. "Look, I know this is a lot to ask and I understand if you decide…"

"No, it's okay," Barry interrupted him, glancing at him reassuringly before allowing his gaze to linger on the guarded form of Dr. Wells sitting on the medical bed. The other man was unnervingly staring right at him.

The team had been exposed to several iterations of Harrison Wells in the past at this point but this one, more then all the others, even more so then Harry, reminded Barry of the very first Dr. Wells, or more accurately, Thawne impersonating Wells. A man Barry had considered family, until he was brutally betrayed by him. It was hard to pin point exactly why, but Barry thought it could possibly have something to do with the intelligent, calculating stare he was currently being subjected to. The original Dr. Wells used to look at him like that. A sudden unease overcame him and he broke eye contact with the older man to address Caitlin.

"Scan him for dark matter," he said bluntly and he could literally feel every eye in the room turn to him.

Caitlin paused in her ministrations and took a step back, looking down at her patient with a suddenly more wary expression on her face.

"Barry, he's not…" Jay began but Barry cut him off with a small gesture of his upraised hand.

"Look, I know it's stupid but…if we're going to do this, I just need to be sure," he explained as he watched the others ping pong their gazes between him and Dr. Wells, trying to see what Barry was seeing that would cause him to suspect that the dark haired man was a metahuman.

"Okay…," Caitlin replied uncertainly as she leaned over to the side table and picked up a scanner. She turned back to Wells who was studying the device in her hand a bit apprehensively. She held it up to him to let him have a good look.

"This won't hurt, I promise," she reassured him with a smile as she turned the scanner on and slowly ran it over his body. After a moment she pulled the device away and looked at the display. She turned back to Barry.

"No dark matter, he's not a metahuman," she declared and Barry could feel the tension that had been steadily building uneasily in him, slowly began to release at her pronouncement. Okay, so he simply was just Dr. Harrison Wells from Earth 3. He sighed in relief.

"I just needed to be sure," he said out loud and he knew the others would understand why without him saying anything more. Iris rested a warm, comforting hand on his arm and he turned to smile at her before facing Jay once again.

"He'll be safe here, we'll look after him until you get back," he stated confidently, ignoring the dirty look Wells was now directing at him at that comment.

"Thank you…," Jay said gratefully, looking at each of them in turn, "…all of you."

"Sure, anytime," Cisco quipped sarcastically as he mentally prepared himself to navigate the unique idiosyncrasies of _this_ version of Wells. "I'm going to Wells proof my lab if anyone needs me," he muttered as he turned on his heel and made his way to the exit.

They watched him go before turning back to Jay who was making his way over to the side of the exam table Wells was still sitting on, stopping close to the edge and looking down at the scientist who looked back up at him with an expression of contempt on his handsome face. Garrick wasn't sure if Wells would ever forgive him for this but it was a risk worth taking in order to save his city, and subsequently, Harrison Wells himself. No doubt after the scientist had served his purpose, Detchwood would kill him in order to protect his technology.

Garrick and Wells had interacted several times in the past on his Earth, and while they didn't exactly share a friendship, the two men had a begrudging respect for each other, even if Dr. Wells had a habit of disregarding most of what Jay said, believing his own intelligence more reliable then Garrick's more practical common sense. While Jay was regretful that he had to resort to such extreme measures and potentially ruining his rocky relationship with the younger scientist altogether, he had decided It was worth the risk. 

"Alright Dr. Wells, I already somewhat explained this to you back on our Earth but just in case you weren't listening, let me summarize the situation." Jay made sure he had the scientist's full attention before continuing. He didn't want there to be any confusion that could possibly cause any trouble for team Flash in the future so he made sure he kept it short and sweet.

"You are to remain here, on this Earth, until I come back for you. That's the long and short of it. I know you aren't happy about this but like I said before, I don't have a choice so you're just going to have to tough it out. These are good people and you can trust them," Jay emphasized, waving a hand to indicate the young people watching the two of them quietly. He fixed Wells with a particularly stern look. "I know you're angry and frustrated about this but don't take it out on them. I expect you to treat them with the courtesy and respect they deserve," he added firmly, pointedly ignoring the murderous look Wells was directing his way at being spoken to in such a manner, like a child being warned by an adult to behave at a relative's house. "They are my friends, and believe it or not, they're your friends too…in a way."

He paused a moment to let his words sink in, hoping against hope that the other man would take the path of least resistance for once and cooperate, if only for the moment. 

"Do you understand your situation?" he asked as he reached into a pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small metal key, holding it up for Harrison to see.

Harrison correctly assumed it was the key to his cuffs. He also assumed that indicating anything other then a 'yes' would result in him remaining shackled. Tired of being handcuffed and even more tired of being silenced, Wells nodded once tersely and held out his hands impatiently.

Jay reached out and grasped Wells' right wrist, holding him steady as he fitted the key in the lock. The cuffs snapped open and he gently pulled them off the slim wrists, depositing them in the same pocket with the key.

Harrison immediately reached behind his head to tear at the knot that had kept the gag firmly in place no matter how many times he had yanked at it with his bound hands.

"Here, let me…," Jay offered when he saw the other man struggling to untie the knot he couldn't see. Harrison yanked his head away from the other man's touch, clearly still furious at the speedster.

"Why don't I help you with that?" Caitlin quickly intervened, taking a pair of surgical scissors from off the table and holding them up for the dark haired scientists inspection.

Wells' blue eyes flickered between the scissors and her face before nodding again in acquiescence, allowing her to lean close and slip the cool metal between the skin of his cheek and the cloth, cutting the soft material with two efficient snips. He immediately spit the offending cotton out of his mouth, taking it and tossing it angrily off to the side and to the ground. Now free, he pushed himself up, swinging his legs over the side of the medical bed. As soon as his dress shoes hit he floor, he roughly pushed past Jay and took several steps away to put some distance between him and everyone else in the room. He turned back around to survey the foreign, yet surprisingly familiar space and the people occupying it, rubbing absentmindedly at his slightly chafed wrists.

Barry quickly stepped forward to address the clearly wary man, holding out a welcoming hand.

"Dr. Wells, I'm sorry to have to meet you…again…in such circumstances but believe me, we're he…,"

"I'm going to assume that kidnapping is just as illegal on this Earth as it is on mine?" Harrison abruptly cut him off, his cool gaze locked squarely onto Barry's. He had surmised this young man was the defacto leader of the bunch since Garrick had mainly been addressing him since they had arrived here and the others appeared to defer to his judgment.

"Uh, well…," Barry faltered, caught off guard by the forceful tone and the intense look on the other man's face. He closed his out stretched hand and pulled it back, his offer at friendship clearly rebuked.

"Technically yes," Iris chimed in, taking a few steps to stand at Barry's side again, offering him support. "But we…,"

"Then that would ' _technically_ ' make you _all_ criminals," Wells interrupted her as well, causing Barry and Iris to look at each other, at a loss at how to break through this wall of hostility Wells was barricaded behind.

"You're really starting to make regret ungagging you," Jay said irritably while dragging a weary hand down his face, expecting this type of response from the younger man but unwilling to go another round in their verbal battle.

"And _you_ , you're the worst of the lot," Wells accused, jabbing a finger at the older speedster.

"Excuse me?" Jay said warningly in a tone that had Barry remembering that one time he had accidently cursed within earshot of his father. It was that same tone that promised instant retribution unless an immediate apology was offered.

"Kidnapping me, taking me away from my work, my home, my very _Earth_!? All in the name of the greater good?" he spat angrily at the older speedster, waving a hand at him. "Who made you God that you think you have the right to do this!?"

Jay was in his face in a blink of an eye, startling the scientist into silence as he stared into the other man's fierce expression, lightening crackling at the edges of his eyes. He had to force himself to not step back, to hold his ground as several loose papers fluttered gently to the floor around them. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the others start towards them in alarm, no doubt thinking they may have to break the two of them up.

"If anyone should be asked that question, it is _you_ Doctor. It was your particle accelerator that caused the creation of those meta humans currently endangering the life of every single citizen in our city. If anyone is playing God, It's _you_."

Harrison was stunned at the words but he carefully kept his expression neutral. He'd be damned if he let Garrick know how much that affected him.

"I was trying to _help_ people," he growled as he tried to stare the other man down. How dare he twist what Wells had been trying to do. Yes he had made a mistake, he had created a mechanism that had caused part of the population to develop powers. But he did _not_ have anything to do with _how_ those people chose to use those powers. If you give a person a loaded gun, it's ultimately their decision whether or not to pull the trigger. If anything, the explosion of his particle accelerator proved he was all too human.

"So am I," Garrick said simply and Harrison could see the determination in the other man's expression. Garrick truly believed he was doing what was best and that apparently justified his kidnapping and temporary exile to this Earth.

"Some of the worst things in history have been done for the sake of 'the greater good'," Wells said lowly, enunciating the last part of his sentence, not breaking eye contact.

"And also some of the best," Garrick replied just as confidently, not backing down.

The tension was uncomfortably thick in the medical bay.

"Okay," Barry said with forced cheer, clapping his hands together once and succeeding in breaking the staring match between the older men. "Since you're going to be staying with us for a little while Dr. Wells, maybe you'd like to see the room you'll be staying in. The old Dr. Wells kept a lot of his stuff here so I'm sure we can find you some clothes to wear…"

"Where _is_ my doppelgänger by the way?" Wells asked abruptly, stepping back from Jay before walking around him and towards Barry slowly, eyeing him with that intense calculating stare again. "You've all indicated that you know him well yet I haven't seen him." He stopped directly in front of Barry, hands clasped behind his back, waiting for his answer.

"He uh…," Barry stuttered, unsure how to explain the whole sordid story of Eobard Thawne and Dr. Wells in a condensed form that would make sense to an outsider.

"He died," Iris interjected, pulling Wells' attention away from Barry and onto her.

"Ah," Harrison said as he took in her protective stance next to the younger man, his quick mind processing all the subtle clues he had been collecting since he was brought here that indicated that these two were a couple. He filed that information away for later.

"Hand me downs from a dead man," he turned to meet Barry's gaze. "Sounds delightful."

"Alright that's enough Harrison," Jay admonished sternly, walking over to him and the now deflated Barry. He crowded into Harrison's personal space and the physicist was forced to back up several steps, giving up ground to the older man and hating how easily Garrick could make him do it.

Jay watched Wells retreat as he stopped on Barry's other side, clapping a supportive hand on his shoulder. The kid was just trying to make this whole situation easier for the other man but Harrison was determined to make his temporary displacement on this Earth as difficult for everyone as he conceivably could. Jay knew Harrison Wells could be extremely charming and pleasant when he wanted to be and he truly was a good man at his core. But he also knew that Wells had a temper that caused him to act so childishly churlish sometimes that Jay had to legitimately resist slapping the obnoxiousness right out of him.

"Oh of course Garrick, I quite agree that's enough. Let's not subject my _jailers_ to my poor attitude," Harrison declared sarcastically, rolling his eyes to the ceiling and twirling around on the spot to meet everyone's eyes in turn, "After all I should be _grateful_ to you all for taking time out of your schedules _to disrupt my life_!" he practically shouted the last part, his control on his temper slipping

"I said…that's…enough," Jay enunciated slowly, his voice full of promise if Harrison didn't settle down immediately and comply.

Harrison ignored the warning and the tense body language, too preoccupied with taking out his frustrations on the older speedster.

"Fuck you Garrick," Wells spat venomously, placing his hands on his hips and squaring off to the other man, just _daring_ him do something about it.

"Hey!" Caitlin couldn't stop herself from saying, jarred to hear such strong words as she held up her hands to motion calm. This was getting out of control and she could tell both men were on the verge of losing their tempers. Barry and Iris were staring at Wells in shock.

"Caitlin, Iris, Barry," Jay began in a surprisingly composed tone, his eyes never leaving Harrison's. Only the curling of his hands into fists at his sides betrayed the anger he was battling at the moment. "Please excuse us for a few minutes. It seems like Dr. Wells and I need to work out a few things before I leave him here with you."

There was a sudden whoosh of air and a whirlwind of loose papers twirled around the empty space the two men had just been occupying.

"Oh my God…," Iris said out loud, turning towards the door and brushing displaced strands of hair out of her eyes.

"Barry! You have to go after them!" Caitlin said worriedly, quickly making her way over to him, her heels clicking sharply on the polished floor.

"Wait Caitlin, maybe we should just...let them work this out," Barry suggested as he held up his hands as if to stop her from rushing out the door after them.

"Barry?" Iris added, her tone indicating that maybe he wasn't thinking very clearly. "You saw how angry they both were, leaving the two of them alone could be…," she raised a hand and shook her head at the thought of it.

Barry quickly took a few steps back so he could look at both of them at the same time.

"Look, those two obviously have some things they need to settle between them and I don't think it would be a good idea to deny them that," he explained as he watched the two women exchange dubious looks.

"Guy's, this is Jay we're talking about," Barry emphasized, "Possibly the most honorable man in the multiverse. He's not like that, he wouldn't hurt someone simply because he was angry and I know you both know that."

The two women exchanged looks and Barry could tell they were mentally weighing what he had said.

"I trust him," Barry added sincerely and he could tell at that moment that the other two had been persuaded.

"And I trust you," Iris said finally and Barry couldn't help smiling at her support.

"So…you're sure Jay won't kill him?" Caitlin questioned, only half serious.

"99 percent sure," Barry quipped back, knowing Caitlin would take it for the reassurance it was meant to be.

"Well, I hope you're right," she finished with one last look at the doorway.

"I am. Besides, if Jay can talk Wells into being a little less hostile while he's here, the easier it will be on us," Barry explained optimistically.

"Amen to that," Iris muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest, subconsciously hugging herself at the thought of all the potential trouble babysitting a reluctant Harrison Wells could lead to.

"Where do you think he took him?" Caitlin asked and all three looked back towards the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Harrison stumbled as they came to a sudden stop in a queerly lit room. His stomach churned uncomfortably from the rapid deceleration out of the speed force for a moment before he gratefully gained control over it.

Jay released his hold on the scruff of Well's jacket and gave the slimmer man a slight push to put some distance between them. He watched the other man straighten up and whirl angrily to face him.

"You…," Harrison started to say, his voice full of indignation but Garrick cut him off with a slash of his hand.

"Just shut it," he snapped.

Harrison was so taken back by the tone of the other man's voice that he actually did, taking a step back and giving Garrick his full attention.

"Look around you," Jay ordered as he indicated the space they were standing in with a wave of a hand.

Harrison narrowed his eyes at him for a moment but reluctantly did what he asked, taking in the narrow curved corridor lined from floor to ceiling with piping and wiring. It somewhat resembled the interior of his particle accelerator on his Earth and he assumed that this was where Garrick had taken him, deep down in the facility. At the end was a blast door with a control panel on the right wall. 

"They call this the pipeline," Jay began as he slowly walked up the ramp to the control panel, ignoring the scathing look Wells aimed at him as he past him. He reached out and touched the screen pad of the panel, causing the blast doors to separate and reveal what was behind it.

Harrison looked into the even smaller inner room to see some sort of locked glass cell with blue padding on the inside. He watched Garrick walk over to yet another panel mounted on the wall, activating the mechanism that opened the glass doors to the cell.

"Go on, take a real good look at it," Jay said calmly as he stepped back so the other man would have an unimpeded view. He watched silently as Harrison's blue eyes flickered briefly over the confined space and the control panel, before finally settling back on him. "Because this is where you will be spending your time here if you don't drop the attitude," he warned ominously as he stepped back into the outer room towards Wells, purposefully leaving the cell door open.

"If you were going to throw me in a prison you could have done that on our Earth," Harrison pointed out to him as he smoothed down his rumpled suit with agitated movements, clearly unconcerned with this latest threat from Garrick.

"I'm not going to go over that again with you. You know why I had to bring you here so stop being difficult for the sake of it," he scolded, coming back down the ramp to stand before the other man. He crossed his arms over his chest and fixed Wells with a stern look.

"No one wants to lock you up but I will make it clear to the others that this is _exactly_ where you will go If you give them any trouble," Jay stated as he waited for the other man's inevitable rebuttal. He watched as Wells straightened up and crossed his arms over his own chest in an obvious mockery of Jay's posture.

"I really enjoy the idea that you think those _children_ will have any influence on me when you go," Harrison said in that condescending tone of his that grated on Jay's nerves. The dark haired physicist had stepped closer and now the two men were practically toe to toe.

"You might just be surprised at what those kids are capable of," Jay informed him seriously, " So I suggest you don't push them and find out." He leaned close into Wells personal space, pleased to see him pull back just a fraction. "I also suggest you stop pushing _me_ before you find out what _I'm_ capable of," he added, running out of time and patience with this never ending argument with the younger man.

Harrison quietly scoffed in amusement, a grim smile settling on his handsome face.

"Oh I know exactly what you're capable of," he began in a low, dangerous voice. "Absolutely _nothing_. You are a coward Jay Garrick. You are unable to handle your own problems so you simply run…run away and dump them in someone else lap like the true failure you are," Wells declared spitefully, his words chosen to cut deep, to hurt. He opened his mouth to say more but a slap to the left side of his face stopped him in his tracks. He stood in complete shock for a moment, bringing his left hand up to cradle the slightly stinging skin as he stared at Garrick with wide eyes.

Jay slowly lowered his hand. He had struck Harrison across the cheek but it hadn't been a full on slap. Jay had merely 'tapped' the younger scientist on his cheek firmly enough to shock him into silence, pulling back on the force and keeping it light. It was simply a quick 'pop' aimed to bring Harrison up short.

"This is your… _final_ …warning, " Jay said dangerously as he pointed a finger at the stunned man. "You want to persist in making me the bad guy? Then fine, I'll indulge you so listen closely. If you put just _one_ toe out of line while you are here, then you will have to answer to me when I come back and I _promise_ you Doctor, you will regret the consequences if that happens."

Harrison stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words. Never before had the normally easy going Garrick spoken to him in such a forceful, practically threatening manner. Nor had he ever raised a hand to the scientist before and the lingering tingle against Harrison's cheek all but screamed at him to use caution as this was uncharted territory. But Harrison ignored the warning, instead grasping onto his resentment and anger, letting it build inside him as the injustice of it all overwhelmed his common sense. As he stared into Garrick's stern expression, waiting oh so patiently for his surrender, the dark haired man felt the last grasp on his composure begin to slip and just like a rubber band that had been stretched to it's absolute limit, Harrison snapped.

"You son of a _bitch_!" Harrison hissed as he quickly wound his right arm back, taking aim for the older man's face with his fist. The rush of adrenaline his anger lent him had him moving fast, his fist swinging around in a blur of motion but it simply wasn't fast enough. In the next blink of an eye, Harrison found his right wrist caught and held before him in an iron grip. He stared in fury at the large hand wrapped so tightly around him, keeping his arm in place, denying him the satisfying feeling of his fist slamming into the side of Garrick's face. He yanked with all his might to wrench himself free but the grip remained solid. He transferred his angry stare to the other man's face, breathing somewhat heavily after his explosion of energy.

"I really wished you had just listened to me," Garrick stated unerringly calmly


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took forever but here's the next part. Sorry, between moving and working two weeks in a row without a day off, it's been veeery difficult to find time to write. This isn't really edited so I beg forgiveness. Hope you enjoy. Don't know how long this will be but I'll keep adding to it until I'm finished playing in this particular sandbox.

Garrick tightened his grip and turned away to start walking down the ramp, dragging the resisting form of Harrison Wells behind him. He hadn't wanted it to come to this but the younger man had forced his hand, quite literally to be precise. He stopped at the end and took a seat on the edge of flooring that the ramp cut into at an angle, creating a convenient ledge that Jay could sit down on. As soon as he was seated, he yanked hard on the slender wrist he still held captive in his hand, pulling the other man up against his right side.

"Let go of me!" Harrison demanded testily as he continued to fight against Garrick's restraining hold. When his legs bumped up against the speedster's, Wells tried to back away as far as Jay's hold on his wrist would allow, causing him to bend at the waist slightly. Jay took that opportunity to pull the other man further forward, yanking on the wrist he held until Harrison was forced to brace his left hand on Jay's right thigh in order to keep from over balancing and falling over the seated man.

"We need to get a few things straight before I do that," Jay answered, practically eye to eye with the other man as he quickly grabbed onto Harrison's left wrist and pulled it off his leg , yanking both captured wrists firmly across his lap and to his side.

Harrison couldn't stop his forward motion due to his lack of leverage and found himself falling forwards over Garrick's lap, his stomach connecting uncomfortably against the older man's thighs. He grunted as his body finally settled, feeling Jay release his wrists and he quickly placed his right hand out in front of him while using his left to grab onto the edge of the floor Jay was seated on to prevent from toppling face first into the hard ramp. His dress shoes scrambled for a moment to find purchase against the slanted flooring, the angle proving a bit of a disadvantage as it caused his legs to stretch out behind him, positioning him further over Garrick's lap. A heavy arm landed across his lower back and circled around his side and beneath his stomach, securing him in an unmovable grip down against the other man's knees. He felt Jay grab the hem of his suit jacket and flip it up higher on his back, exposing the seat of his trousers. Before he had a chance to demand what Garrick thought he was doing, a startling loud sound reached his ears, followed a fraction of a second later by a stinging pain in his backside.

" Oh you fuc…!" he began but Jay quickly interrupted his outburst with another hearty slap, causing Harrison to bite off his curse in order to suck in a startled breath, wincing through the unexpected pain. 

" I warned you Harrison, several times in fact but you just had to do this the hard way," Jay explained as he raised his hand high and brought it down with force against the seat the other man's black trousers. 

Wells immediately tried to right himself, pushing back against the floor, against Garrick, against the fucking universe. It hadn't taken him more then a second or two after being upended over Garrick's lap to figure out what the man had in mind. The 'why' of it was still way beyond his comprehension at the moment though. All he knew for certain was that there was no way in hell, on this Earth or any Earth, that he was going to allow this to happen. His efforts were rewarded with a flurry of heavy handed smacks to his lower backside, causing him to grunt in pain. He quickly raised a hand to push his glasses back up his nose that the force of the swats had dislodged.

"All you had to do was sit tight and wait for me to come back for you," Garrick scolded as he started reigning down swat after stinging swat against Wells' backside, keeping his hand open and flat. The younger man was struggling hard to push himself off his lap but Jay was able to hold him in place without too much effort. His hand never missed a beat as he continued to smack the seat of Harrison's slacks with enough force to cause the younger man to grunt in pain every few seconds.

"But you just had to keep pushing…," he continued, lowering his aim a bit to target the underside of Harrison's rear which was positioned perfectly over his knee due to the slant in the ramp causing Jay's right leg to be slightly higher then his left. The scientist let out a gasp and his struggles increased as he slapped this area, giving Jay the conformation that he should probably concentrate his swats there.

Harrison tried to twist up and around, supporting himself with his left hand on the ledge as he swung his right one back, trying to somehow catch Jay's own hand to stop him from continuing. He wasn't exactly sure what Garrick was trying to accomplish with this stunt but he knew he had to put a stop to it. People suddenly developing cosmic super powers? Okay, he could buy that. Multiple universes resulting in multiple Earths? That made sense. Jay Garrick turning him over his knee and spanking him like a child? That was simply out of the realm of believability.

"Garrick, I swear if you don't let me up…!" the younger man growled over his shoulder as Jay loosened his hold around his waist to snag Harrison's arm, gripping it tight and pushing it down under his stomach and out of the way.

"You'll what?" Garrick challenged, swatting Harrison several times directly across the center of his slacks. "Doesn't seem like you can do much in the position you're in at the moment." He felt the other man try to wrench his captured wrist free but he held on tight. 

Harrison cursed as he realized he couldn't free his hand. Changing tactics he tried to get his feet under him but quickly recognized the impossibility of it due to the angle of the ramp. As the stinging slaps continued to fall and every attempt he made to physically stop this ultimately failed, Harrison lashed out with the only thing he had left. His mouth.

"You son of a bitch! I knew you were losing your touch as our so called hero, but I didn't know how much of your mind had deteriorated as well!" he grunted out between hisses of pain as Garrick refused to stop the swats. "When I get back I swear to you I will… _Ow_ , damn it! You goddammed bastard!" Harrison cursed over his shoulder as Jay decided to land a few swats to the back of his thighs. The pain was instantly more intense and the physicist's legs jerked involuntarily behind him.

"You're not helping your situation any so maybe you should just keep your mouth shut," Garrick responded as he slapped his open hand down hard across Wells upper thigh. "It was your impulsive actions that put you here across my knee in the first place so maybe you should take that into account before you start slinging insults my way."

"I am going…to… _kill_ …you," Harrison ground out between clenched teeth, his free hand balled tightly in a fist, his eyes squeezed shut against his mounting discomfort. The feeling in his backside had gone from unpleasant but tolerable, to actually painful now and he was starting to dread each fall of Garrick's heavy hand. He heard the speedster snort in amusement above him.

"Good luck with that champ," he said as he continued to pepper the younger man's backside with heavy swats. 

"Never took you for a sadist Garrick," Wells snapped at him angrily, trying once more to free his right hand. 

"And I never took you for a masochist yet here you are, still giving me attitude while being ass up over my lap," he countered. Harrison didn't reply so Jay turned his focus back to covering every part of the younger man's backside with sharp slaps. He wasn't trying to really hurt the man, he just wanted to break down Harrison's defenses, needing him to capitulate, hoping the humiliation of being turned over another person's knee and spanked would be enough to ensure the younger man's cooperation if only to avoid being in that position again. Harrison didn't have to agree with Jay over his decision to leave him here on this Earth, but he did need to abide by that decision, if not because it was the right thing to do, then he'd settle for Harrison giving in just to stop the spanking. Jay knew Harrison's anger was clouding his normally clear mind, blinding him to the fact that keeping him out of Detchwood's clutches was the only way to bring the man down and avoid more bloodshed. If Jay had to be the sole reason Wells cooperated, then so be it.

Harrison tried to control his breathing as the pain in his rear continued to increase. Garrick was hitting him with enough force to jerk him slightly with each smack but even Wells in his furious state could tell the older man wasn't hitting him as hard as he was actually capable of. Along with super speed and accelerated healing abilities, Garrick also had the added benefit of increased strength. The fact that he wasn't using that strength to beat Harrison black and blue was leading the younger man down an uncomfortable road of thought that this whole asinine scene was more of a symbolic gesture then an excuse to cause him pain. This was more about the humiliation of being held down and subjected to a childish punishment, something Harrison found infinitely harder to deal with then mere pain. He could handle pain. This humiliation was a lot harder to swallow and he hated the fact that Garrick seemed to know that about him.

His quick mind had methodically run through all the possible scenarios that would end this torment in the most expedited manner and after rejecting over a dozen scenarios, he reluctantly came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to be able to physically free himself, that he was temporarily not in control at the moment, and that the only way to end this was to surrender, distasteful as that idea was to him. 

Harrison stopped struggling against Garrick's hold with a frustrated huff. He lay as still as his body would allow across Jay's lap, wincing with each new slap, eyes squeezing shut at the discomfort of the swats but more so at what he was about to do.

"Alright Garrick, _alright_ ," he ground out between clenched teeth, his right hand balled into a fist in Garrick's grip as his left gripped the raised flooring with white knuckles.

Jay immediately felt the change in Harrison's lean body tucked snugly against his own and landed one last smack before resting his stinging palm against the back of the other man's right thigh, ignoring the slight shift Harrison made at the contact. He turned to look down at the back of the dark head.

"Had enough?" Garrick asked simply, ready for this to be over just as much as Wells. He watched as Harrison nodded his head once in affirmation.

"More then enough," he testily replied, struggling to push himself up off Garrick's knee one handedly now that the speedster had finally stopped. The heavy hand on his thigh lifted and moved to the small of his back, exerting force to keep him pinned down over his lap. Harrison quickly twisted his head around to the right and behind him, confused as to the other man's intentions. Wasn't the spanking over? Why was Garrick still keeping him pinned down? He tugged experimentally on his captured wrist. Garrick's hold remained solid.

"Just hold on a minute," Jay began as he caught Harrison's eye. "I want to make sure you and I are on the same page before I let you up."

Harrison twisted his head back to the front with a disgusted sigh, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw as he tried to control the anger that was starting to build again. His backside stung uncomfortably and he suspected that it would for some time. It would be a constant reminder of what had just transpired and all Harrison wanted to do now was slink off into a secluded spot somewhere and brood over the injustices he had just endured. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to Jay Garrick about it. Too bad he didn't have a choice in the matter.

"We can do that just as easily with me in a vertical position," Wells muttered impatiently as he stared resolutely at the floor, lips drawn tight into a line as he waited for Garrick to say whatever the hell he was wanting to say.

"Somehow I think you'll be a little more receptive in this position," Jay answered back dryly as he squeezed the wrist in his hand warningly before unexpectedly releasing it.

Harrison was somewhat surprised when Jay freed his hand but didn't waste anytime in bringing it back around to the front and placing it against the cool floor, giving his upper body some support. Garrick didn't remove his restraining arm though and now that his left hand was unoccupied, Harrison felt him lay it firmly against his right side, fingers curling around him, cutting off any chance of Well's sliding off his lap. The hand was uncomfortably warm and even more uncomfortably intimate against the thinness of his exposed white dress shirt and Harrison couldn't stop himself from shifting a bit in an unconscious attempt to avoid the contact.

"Then hurry up and say it," Harrison grumbled at the floor as he brought his left hand down to support himself as he used his right to push his glasses back into place on his nose from where the jarring smacks had knocked them loose, _again_. "The blood is rushing to my head."

"Okay fine. I will make this simple so there will be no confusion between the two of us," Garrick began as he stared down sternly at the back of Wells' head, absentmindedly patting the physicist's side with his left hand as his other rested low on his back, just above the belt line. "You are staying here. I will take you back when it is safe. You will be a model quest while here and do nothing to cause these people any problems or disrupt their daily operations. You got all that so far?" he asked patiently.

Harrison could feel himself grinding his teeth and had to consciously stop himself. How many more times was Garrick going to repeat himself? As much as he wanted to continue arguing his point, he knew that Garrick wouldn't accept anything other then his acquiescence and forcing the words out that he knew the older man wanted to hear was proving to be more difficult then Wells was expecting.

Apparently he was taking too long to answer and Jay decided to help him along with the hardest swat yet to his upturned backside, his large hand striking both cheeks, dead center.

The swat was so unexpected that Harrison couldn't stop his yelp of surprise. His hands momentarily came up off the floor to quickly ball into fists before he regained control and slapped them back down against the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut and blew out a breath as the pain from that swat reignited the fire from all the previous ones.

"Yes! I got it," he called out over his shoulder, hoping that would be sufficient and prevent anymore prompting smacks.

"Good, glad we finally can agree on something," Garrick told him as he rested his stinging right hand back down against the small of Harrison's back, ignoring the slight flinch the younger man couldn't suppress at the contact. "Make no mistake Dr. Wells, if you don't cooperate with us then this is exactly the consequence you can expect from me," Jay explained as he patted Harrison's lower back. "And I promise you if I have to this again, I won't hesitate. If you cause any trouble at all while you are here, I will come back and deal with you," he leaned over Harrison's back to make sure he heard this next part clearly. "And I won't care where we are or is watching when I do so keep that in mind."

It took a monumental effort on his part but Harrison was able to keep his mouth shut. His backside hurt, his pride hurt, his tongue hurt from biting it. But he didn't have a choice for the moment and he knew it. The die had been cast in this game and he had rolled snake eyes. All that was left for him now was to ride out this round and wait for the next opportunity.

"Are we finished here?" Jay asked him surprisingly gently as he leaned back up, releasing his hold from around the other man's waist and grabbing onto the hem of his suit jacket, ready to flip it back down.

Completely humiliated and miserable, Harrison didn't trust himself to speak so he simply nodded his head once. 

Jay lowered Harrison's jacket back into place and reached around the slim man's chest, holding him tightly as he stood himself up, taking Well's with him.

It took Harrison a moment to find his footing on the slanted surface but Garrick supported him until he got his feet under himself. As soon as he was upright, Wells quickly pushed away from the older man and took a few steps back, towards the other side of the ramp. The pain in his backside was even more prominent now that he was in a normal standing position and he had to force himself to not bring a hand back immediately to rub at the discomfort.

The two men stared at each other from opposite sides of the room for an uncomfortable moment, each silently coming to term with this new change in their dynamic, waiting to see if the other had something they wanted to say.

There were a million things that Harrison wanted to express but he feared that every single one would lead him back over Garrick's lap and he desperately wanted to avoid that at all cost so he kept quiet.

Jay could see the struggle on Harrison's slightly flushed face. He didn't blame him. Harrison was an accomplished, well respected man in charge of the most advanced scientific establishment in the country back on their Earth, and Jay had just turned him over his knee and spanked him like a misbehaving brat. He was going to need time to process all these new developments.

"I know you won't believe me when I tell you this, but this isn't just about saving the city," Garrick began as Harrison watched him with wary eyes. "It's about protecting you as well." He watched Harrison's eyes widen in disbelief and his mouth open in surprise as he turned his head slightly to the right to regard him at an angle, as if to indicate he must have heard Jay incorrectly. Undoubtedly he was thinking of the irony of that statement and Jay resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the subtle theatrics. He knew Harrison wasn't in the mindset to listen to anything he would have to say at the moment so he didn't even attempt it.

"When things have settled down and I have the opportunity, you I and I can sit down and have a long talk about all this. For now, I have a city I need to get back to and you should get settled in," Jay told him as he turned around and started making his way down the ramp towards the exit.

"That's it? We're just going to walk out of here and pretend that none of this happened?" Wells asked incredulously as Jay stopped and turned back towards him.

"So you want to discuss the fact that I spanked you?" he asked the other man and watched as Harrison clenched his jaw closed and averted his eyes in embarrassment.

"Well?" Jay questioned while raising his hands up in a shrug.

"I never want to speak of this again," Harrison ground out moodily and Jay had to suppress the smile that threatened to appear at the other man's response.

"We will talk about it, but only when you're ready," Jay explained and didn't bother trying to hide his grin this time at the death look Wells was giving him. "Come on Doctor, let's get back to the others so they can show you around." He walked out the door and around the corner. After a moment or two, he heard reluctant footsteps following behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

Harrison walked quietly behind the other man as Jay led them through the many corridors. He was grateful Garrick hadn't used his speed to bring them back as it gave him time to compose himself and process what had just happened. No doubt that was Garrick's intention.

His backside stung and every step pulled the fabric of his tailored trousers across his seat, aggravating the discomfort. It was unpleasant and persistent. Harrison suspected that the pain would take some time to fade and he was going to have to live with the constant reminder that he had just been...that Garrick had…

He couldn't even bring himself to say it now that it was over.

It wasn't the pain that bothered him the most though, as uncomfortable as that was. It was the humiliation of being upended over another person's lap and given a child's punishment, having control forcibly taken from him and put in the hands of another. Harrison did not handle loss of control well. With effort he dragged his gaze up from the floor to glance at the back of the man walking before him. Garrick seemed content to walk in companionable silence, allowing Wells to work through whatever he needed to, at whatever pace he required. But Harrison knew if he wanted to initiate a conversation with the older man, Garrick would immediately give him his full attention because that was just the sort of man Garrick was.

At the moment Harrison _h_ _ated_ him for that.

How could a man so reasonable, so understanding, so normally level headed with everyone's best interest at heart, possibly think that what he had just done was a sane and appropriate response to Harrison's completely understandable refusal to cooperate with what was essentially amounting to a kidnapping? Wells' mind turned the incident over and over again, trying to find a explanation, a reason, _anything_ at all that would help answer the multitude of questions he had churning around his brain.

For his part, Garrick wasn't blind to Harrison's internal dilemma. The silence alone confirmed that Harrison was deep in thought as that was his normal disposition when in serious contemplation. If he was being honest with himself, he needed the time to think as well. It hadn't been his intention to physically reprimand Wells when he had ran him down to the pipeline. He had just wanted to outline the possible consequences Harrison would face if he continued with his willful stubbornness, to show him how his actions would dictate whether or not his stay here on this Earth would be a pleasant one.

Leave it to the brilliant but intractable physicist to make even that simple task as complicated and difficult as he could.

Garrick had finally just let his instincts take over and had hauled Wells over his lap to smack the stubbornness right out of him. Harrison had fought him at first but even Garrick was surprised at how quickly he had capitulated. He figured it was probably more from the embarrassment of the whole thing then the actual pain that had made the other man give in relatively swiftly. Garrick was surprised at how effective it had actually been. Even now Harrison was walking quietly behind him, following his lead down the hallway without argument when just half an hour before Garrick had had him cuffed and slung over his shoulder.

Both men were acutely aware of the change in their dynamic and each were taking the time to come to terms with it as they made their way through Star Labs.

Ten long minutes later found them walking through the door to the medical bay were Barry, Iris, and Caitlin were patiently waiting for their return.

"Oh, hey," Barry greeted the two men as they walked further into the room. He gave each of them a quick once over, noticing that both of them seemed calm and neither of them appeared to be sporting any injuries although Wells' hair was a little mussed.

Wanting nothing more then to be left alone to nurse his wounded pride in peace and avoid any awkward questions, Harrison immediately addressed the three young people examining the two of them with meticulous eyes.

"I believe you mentioned something about rooms?" he asked flatly. 

"Oh! Ah…yes, of course," Caitlin spoke up after a moments hesitation of surprise at Harrison's apparent change in demeaner. She smiled politely at him and walked over, placing a gentle hand on his arm to guide him through the door. He allowed her. "Let me show you where you'll be staying Dr. Wells. I'm sure you'll find it to you're liking."

"Thank you," was his clipped reply as he turned to walk with her out the door.

Barry and Iris watched them disappear around the corner before turning their attention to Jay.

"Wow, didn't expect the 180 change in attitude, I'm impressed. What exactly did you say to him?" Iris inquired confidently.

"Yeah, I thought for sure we were going to have to lock him up in the pipeline to get him to stay," Barry added as they looked at Jay expectantly.

"That's exactly what I threatened him with," Jay replied ruefully as he watched the couple share a look between them. "Among other things but no need to go into details. Suffice to say I think the good Doctor is going to cooperate for now," he explained somewhat cryptically, unwilling to divulge the details of his little talk with Harrison just yet out of respect for the other man.

Iris opened her mouth to dive in with another question when her phone began to ring.

"It's Dad," she explained as she looked down at the screen. "I'm supposed to meet him at Chitter's for lunch."

"Go on, don't keep him waiting, you know how he gets," Barry told her with a smile, letting her know it was okay to go, he could handle this.

"You would know better then anyone," she teased as she answered the call with a "Hey Dad." She waved goodbye at them and headed out the door and disappeared around the corner.

The two speedsters were alone. Barry looked back at Jay fondly.

"You do realize you're going to have to tell me more don't you?" Barry said with a grin as he regarded the doppelgänger of his father.

"That is my intention but I didn't want to say anything in front of the girls," Jay explained as he broke eye contact and looked around to make sure they were alone.

"Okaaay…," Barry drawled cautiously, tilting his head slightly as he waited for Jay to elaborate. What exactly had happened between the two men?

"I showed him the pipeline, one of the holding cells. I told him if he caused any trouble while he was here, then I would make it clear to you and your team that you were to lock him up down there until I returned," Jay explained and Barry crossed his arms across his chest and nodded his head in understanding.

"So that's what changed his mind," Barry said but a puzzled look overtook his expression as Jay stifled a snort at that comment.

"Actually, he wasn't all that impressed," Jay confessed as he ran a hand behind his neck, rubbing at the tension that had been building there since he had arrived on this Earth.

"Okay," Barry repeated, "So what did change his mind?"

"Well, words were said and Harrison lost his temper, took a swing at me," Jay began and he could see Barry's eyes widen in surprise. "I didn't think about it, I just hauled him over my knee and well…I spanked him," he finished somewhat reluctantly. He looked at the younger man, trying to gauge his response to this.

Now Barry's mouth dropped open in shock. Of all the things he had expected Jay to say, that had certainly not been one of them.

"You did _what_?!"

Surely he must have misheard him. Jay had spanked Harrison Wells? Barry tried to picture It but his mind was rebelling against the thought of the confident, authoritative man being subjected to such an undignified and embarrassing punishment.

"He didn't really give me a choice here," Jay defended himself, gesturing with one hand. "I had to make sure he wasn't gong to cause you kids any trouble before I left and you saw how good talking to him did."

Barry quickly regained his composure and raised his hands up to forestall any more explanation from the older man.

"Jay, look…I'm not judging you or what you felt you had to do. I'm just, shocked is all," he tried to explain, watching as some of the defensiveness slowly left Jay's expression. Jay could certainly relate to that.

"That makes two of us…well three, if you count Wells," Jay confided. "Now you can see why I was reluctant to mention this in front of the ladies."

"Uh, no yeah, I get it," Barry replied distractedly as he tried to wrap his head around this unexpected new development. "So, how did he take it?"

"About as you would expect," Jay admitted with a slight chuckle. "Pretty sure he's going to think twice before putting himself in that position again though so maybe it wasn't a complete mistake."

"He did seem a little more cooperative," Barry admitted as he watched Jay walk over to the table his helmet was sitting on and pick it up, turning it through his hands.

"Yeah well, let's hope that cooperativeness lasts longer then the pain in his backside," Jay said over his shoulder.

Barry could sense the older man's unease.

"I didn't tell him about you, you know. About your powers. That goes for the others as well, especially Cisco," Jay began as he turned around to face Barry. "I thought it might be best if Harrison didn't know that there was someone here that could open a breach back to our Earth seeing how determined he is to get back to it. Not to mention if he does try to run off, not knowing you're a speedster will give you the advantage."

"Jay," Barry began as he stepped forward to place a comforting hand on Garrick's left shoulder. "You don't have to worry. We can handle this," Barry reassured him confidently. He knew Jay was feeling a bit guilty about dropping Wells in their laps like this, but he and the others knew that the older speedster wouldn't be doing this if he had any other choice.

Jay smiled gratefully back at him.

"I know," he responded truthfully and covered Barry's hand on his shoulder with his own, squeezing briefly before stepping back to place his helmet firmly back on his head. "I really must be going," he added and Barry nodded.

"Of course, you have a city to save," he quipped good naturedly. He watched curiously as Garrick reached into one of the pockets of his red leather jacket, pulling out a small circular object which he held out in front of him for Barry to take.

"Here, take this," he verbally confirmed as he placed the object in Barry's out stretched hand.

Barry looked at the small metal device for a moment before looking back at Jay questioningly. It vaguely resembled a portable breaching device, but Barry knew that Earth three didn't have that type of technology, except for Jay of course who had been gifted a couple by Cisco in case he ever needed to hop on over to Earth one. This was most certainly Earth three tech.

"It's a homing device," Garrick explained. "Just tell Cisco to lock onto that and he will be able to open a breach directly to me wherever I am."

"Okay, yeah," Barry confirmed as he gave the object one last glance before shoving it into the right pocket of his Khaki pants. He was a bit surprised at the suddenly serious expression on Jay's face when he looked back up.

"If he causes you any trouble, and I mean _any_ , you do not hesitate to contact me, is that understood?" Jay demanded as he leveled a finger at the younger speedster.

Barry couldn't help the faint tingle of butterflies he felt at Jay's stern tone and he had to consciously remind himself that this wasn't actually his father. Besides, Jay's ire was directed towards someone else at the moment. It still didn't stop him from responding as he would if he was actually standing in front of his dad though.

"Yes sir."

"Good, now let's go find Cisco so he can breach me back," Jay said and the two speedsters turned and headed out the door side by side.

********************************************************************************************************

Harrison stood alone in the room Caitlin had showed him too. She had been very courteous as she had gently showed him around, pointing out the in suite restroom, the closet that apparently held some of the other Wells clothes, even going so far as to pull out some extra blankets for him since the other Wells used to complain about the chilliness of the room. Harrison had thanked her politely and had told her he had wanted to rest for a bit after his ordeal. Caitlin had promised to return to check up on him later to make sure he was alright and had informed him to not hesitate to let her know if he needed anything, anything at all. He was finding it harder and harder to dislike his would be captor when she was so obviously concerned for his well being. He wondered what her relationship with his doppelgänger had been like.

The room was reasonably large although sparsely furnished, with plenty of space to maneuver around. He walked over to the small walk in closet, taking note of the two suits hanging in the corner next to a built in dresser. He pulled open the top drawer to find some undergarments and socks. He quickly closed it and opened the next one to find neatly folded cotton shirts and pants. Everything was black.

"At least we have the same taste in clothes," Wells muttered to himself as he closed the drawer and exited the closet. He spent the next ten minutes searching the room for hidden cameras and listening devices. He really wasn't expecting to find any since his arrival here had been a complete surprise to Garrick's friends, but he was a prisoner here. Surely they wouldn't let him have the run of the place without having some way of keeping tabs on him. Satisfied he had scoured every nook and cranny, he finally took a moment to gather his racing thoughts. He sat down on the narrow bed and immediately stood back up with a hiss of pain.

"Dammit," he growled softly as he reached a hand back to finally rub at his sore posterior. It had been a very long time since he had experienced this sensation and it was just as unpleasant as he remembered. The lingering pain was refusing to let him forget what had happened, constantly reminding him of what Garrick had done. It stoked his anger all over again.

Harrison sighed and forced himself to sit back down on the bed. The pressure was uncomfortable but he refused to give in although he couldn't help shifting a bit, finally resorting to crossing one leg under him so his backside was lifted partially off the mattress. He needed time to think. He was stuck here for the moment but he needed to get back. Garrick assumed that Harrison had been oblivious to Detchwood's plan, the chaos he was creating, but he was very much aware of what the man wanted from him. Harrison had actually been actively working on a discreet device that he could plant on the mad man's tech, a device that had the potential to render all of the criminal's technological control over meta humans' completely useless. Garrick had thought him a liability, but in fact, he was the answer.

But Garrick had taken him away from his lab and his research and any possibly way to stop Detchwood. Garrick had decided that he was better off being exiled to a completely different Earth then to actually contribute to stopping the maniac. Harrison ran a frustrated hand through his dark locks. He had to get back to his own lab. Now all he had to do was figure out how. He sat mulling over his options for a moment before settling on the most prudent course of action. He would gather intel on these friends of Jay's and of this facility, with the hopes he will discover something that will help facilitate his departure back to his Earth…

**********************************************************************************************************

Cisco tightened a nut on the latest version of the "boot" gun, making sure the outside casing was properly secured back in place. Satisfied, he flipped the gun onto it's other side and began checking the delicate power connections.

"What are you working on?" an unexpected voice suddenly spoke out from near the entrance to his lab. Cisco was so startled by the interruption that he dropped the screwdriver he had been poking at the wires with and let out an unmanly screech.

"Jesus!" he admonished the interloper as he placed a hand over his heart. "Don't _do_ that!"

"My apologies, it wasn't my intention to startle you," the voice said and Cisco turned his head to see Harrison Wells standing in the doorway. It had been a full day since Jay had brought the man here and this was the first time that Cisco had seen him since. Not that Cisco had been avoiding him or anything. His quick glance at the man showed that the physicist had made use of the other Wells' wardrobe as he had obviously ditched the suit. He was now wearing the simple black long sleeve shirt, pulled up from his forearms, with the black slacks and black shoes with the white soles that the previous Wells seemed to favor. He looked so much like Thawne that for a moment Cisco felt real panic, his fingers tightening around the gun he didn't remember picking up from the work bench.

"Forgive me but, I don't recall your name," Harrison said calmly and quietly, picking up on the younger man's uneasiness. He stayed just within the threshold of the lab, waiting for an indication from the other man that permission to enter further was actually granted.

"It's Cisco," the younger man provided somewhat reluctantly as he slowly placed the "boot" gun back on the table top. He mentally cursed himself at his momentary lapse of control and made a promise to stop jumping at the memory of a man long gone.

He shouldn't be too hard on himself though. This version of Wells resembled the first one more than any other they had come across. He even wore his hair the same way, mostly neat and sloping gently at an angle across his forehead. At least Harry from Earth two had distinguished himself apart early on from his Earth one counterpart with his perpetually messy hair, gravely voice, and preference for jeans and combat boots over slacks and canvas sneakers. Not to mention his snarky attitude.

"Well Cisco, it's a pleasure to finally meet you properly. I guess I can assume you already know who I am?" Harrison asked somewhat ruefully, and Cisco was surprised to see that small bit of humility from a man he would normally have categorized as inherently arrogant.

"You would assume correctly Dr. Wells," Cisco replied as he swiveled his chair to face the older man, crossing his arms across his chest in an unconscious act of self reassurance. He wasn't sure what had prompted this little incursion into his lab but he wasn't going to let his guard down. Once bitten, twice shy as the saying goes.

Wells nodded and clasped his hands behind his back, trying to be as non threatening as possible. It was obvious by the younger man's body language and general standoffishness that he had some major issues with his previous doppelgänger. What those issues could be, he had absolutely no idea but that wasn't his concern at the moment. He tilted his head to indicate the weapon Cisco had been tinkering with.

"I was walking by and saw you working, and my curiosity was piqued. What exactly is that?" Wells inquired politely, still keeping his distance.

"It's called the boot," Cisco explained, as he looked down at the partially dismantled weapon. "It…shoots out a meta power dampening cuff."

"Really? That's absolutely fascinating," Wells exclaimed as he indicated the device with one slim hand. "May I have a closer look?"

Cisco debated for a moment whether or not that was a good idea but quickly decided it couldn't do any harm.

"Yeah, sure," he agreed and watched as Harrison walked over to his work bench. When Wells indicated he wanted to pick it up, Cisco nodded and allowed him. He watched as the older man carefully turned the device around in his hands, scrutinizing it’s design,

"Remarkable, we have nothing like this on my Earth," Harrison explained as he peered into the power compartment of the gun. "This is an amazing piece of engineering," he paused to look back down at Cisco. "Did you create this?"

"Yes," he answered, unsure how to handle the compliment.

"This is what you do? At Star Labs I mean," Wells said as he gently laid the device back down on the table.

"Among other things but yeah, I design and build things to help us fight against all the psycho meta human bad guys," Cisco said as he waved a hand around the lab indicating the various mechanical devices littered half finished around the lab on tables and shelves.

Harrison took it all in before returning his gaze back to the seated man, favoring him with a sincere expression.

"You must be a very brilliant young man Cisco, I truly am impressed. If only I had someone working with me back on my Earth with such intuitive abilities as yours," Wells told him and Cisco couldn't help the feeling of pride he felt well up inside him at Harrison's genuine praise. He quickly tamped it down though. He wasn't that naïve kid anymore, hanging on every word of praise from his idol and mentor.

"Thank you Dr. wells," he said simply before returning his attention back to the partially dismantled weapon before him. "Well I uh, really should get back to this," Cisco added as he picked up his discarded screwdriver.

"Of course, I'm sorry to have interrupted," Wells apologized again as he made to turn and walk back towards the door. He paused for a moment before turning back to face the long haired man.

"What exactly is the issue If you don't mind me asking?" he inquired, genuinely curious.

"It…keeps experiencing power fluctuations, causing the boot to either over shoot or under shoot it's intended target, not really sure where the problem is," Cisco explained reluctantly. It was his design after all and it was a bit embarrassing to admit something was wrong with it.

"Maybe I can help you with that," Wells offered helpfully.

"Really?" Cisco replied, somewhat surprised at the offer and even more so at his willingness to accept it.

"I know a thing or two about a thing or two," Wells said with a small smile.

Cisco returned it with one of his own. After a moment, he answered by flipping the tool in his hand around and holding it out handle first towards the other man.


	6. Chapter 6

It was several hours later that Harrison found himself once more wandering the halls of the vacant facility that was once this Earth's Star Labs. He and Cisco had finally succeeded in fixing the power issue on the ' _boot_ ' gun and Harrison had genuinely been impressed with the younger man's knowledge and mechanical engineering skills. While it had been a little stilted at first, he had managed to create a dialogue between the two of them and had gotten Cisco to reveal a little of what he and the rest of the people Harrison had encountered did here. The younger man had been carefully deliberate with the words he had chosen but Harrison had been able to extrapolate that he, as well as the others were essentially policing the meta humans in this city, monitoring their activities and stepping in to protect innocent people against those who chose to use their powers for more nefarious means. The weapon he had helped fix earlier had only reinforced that notion and Harrison found himself pondering the logistics of only four people watching over a whole city, protecting it's citizens from innumerable beings with extraordinary superhuman abilities.

What was their secret? There was definitely more going on here then met the eye.

Harrison ran one slim hand along the curving wall of the cylindrical hallway that no doubt followed the circumference of the particle accelerator as he walked, taking note of every difference and every similarity to his own facility back on what the others called Earth three.

Earth three. Harrison was well versed in the multiverse theory but he filed the conformation away for later. Right now he needed to focus on finding a way back to his own Earth in his own universe, his own lab, his home.

He came to an open doorway and stopped to peer in. This room was very large and open and in the center was a bank of high end computers and monitors. Towards the back was a little alcove recessed into the wall but an opaque glass panel concealed whatever lay behind it. To the left and right were glass walled offices. He strolled further into the room, looking around to see if anyone was here who might abject to his presence in what appeared to him to be the center hub of this facility. Satisfied he was alone and not in immediate danger of being ejected, Harrison walked over to the desk and looked down at the monitors displaying various pieces of information. Maps of the city overlaid with different data points scrolled across one, while another showed an endless series of zeros and ones in constant fluctuation as more data was collected from whatever these people were monitoring.

Now _this_ was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. He had wanted information on this facility and the people who ran it and here it all was, right at the tip of his fingers. Cisco had been cautious and withholding with the information he had shared. But a computer would tell him all. With a few key strokes he might be one step closer to finding a way back home. After all, these people had known about the multiple earth's and hadn't even bat an eye when Garrick had stepped through a tear in the fabric of spacetime. Which meant they were cognizant of how it was done and more then likely had research stored somewhere that would enlighten Harrison as well. All he had to do was access it.

Quickly pulling out one of the rolling desk chairs, Harrison sat down and positioned himself in front of the larger monitor. He pulled out the keyboard and his slim fingers danced across the keys as he typed in a command that on his Earth, would have brought up the file directory. A distinct beep alerted him to a problem and he looked up to see a large window pop up across the screen. Inside the blue box in bold white lettering were the words 'ACCESS RESTRICTED'. He let out a frustrated sigh.

"Of course they locked it," he muttered quietly to himself. They weren't going to take any chances with an outsider amongst them. He didn't blame them really, he would have done the same but right now it was yet another obstacle barring his way back home. He adjusted his glasses higher up his nose with his right hand as he leaned closer to the screen. He could crack this, he just needed a little time…

"Dr. Wells?"

The voice startled him and he snatched his fingers off the keyboard as if it was burning hot. He quickly twisted his upper body around in the chair, grasping onto the arm rests as he looked behind him. The tall lanky young man that had appeared to be the one in charge around here was standing at the entrance of the room looking at him. What was his name again? Harrison thought it might have started with a B…

"What are you doing?" The young man questioned with a look on his face that seemed to indicate he already had a pretty good idea what Harrison had been doing. Barry, his name was Barry the scientist suddenly remembered.

Harrison rolled his chair back and stood up, looking down at the computer screen with it's incriminating message and tried to come up with an explanation that would seem plausible and innocent enough to keep the younger man from throwing him in the pipeline.

"This facility," he began with a wave of his hand as he looked back up at Barry, "…is so remarkably similar to my own yet, so jarringly different in dozens of subtle ways. I admit that I was curious to see if that applied to the operating system of the computing technology as well," he finished smoothly as he stepped further away from the desk, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for Barry to reply.

Barry regarded the older man for several long seconds. He wasn't a fool. He knew Wells was determined to get back to his Earth and was attempting to hack into the systems in order to do so. Barry was thankful he had had the foresight to insist Cisco lock the computers. He knew from what Jay had told him that this Harrison Wells wasn't a bad guy and his gut was telling him the same thing. But Barry wasn't about to trust him. He knew Jay had already laid down the law but it was time for him to do so as well.

"Look, I get it, I really do. You don't want to be here and all you want to do is get back," Barry began as he walked further into the room, stopping several respectful feet away from the other man. He lowered his voice and injected it with a little of the hard won maturity he had gained over the recent years. "But you _are_ here and you're going to _stay_ here until Jay comes to bring you back," he added with a stern look he wouldn't have dared using on Harrison Wells a few years back.

Harrison could sense the change in the younger man, could hear the note of authority in his voice and was starting to understand why the others followed him. He was obviously smart and unnervingly intuitive. It appeared that there would be no manipulating this one. Once again Harrison found himself briefly wondering about the relationship his previous counterpart had had with these people. Barry in particular seemed to be able to read him so well.

He softly scoffed at the nerve of the kid though. What right did he have to order him around like this? He uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on his hips, turning to face the younger man completely, squaring off with him.

"You think you know me so well," he chuckled softly as he looked down for a moment, pushing his glasses back into place with one slim finger. When he looked back up his eyes were deadly serious. "But you have no idea."

Barry didn't waver as he stared back into those incredibly blue eyes that were uniquely Harrison Wells'. The older man was trying to intimidate him he knew, showing Barry he didn’t see the younger man as much of threat. Fine, let him think that. He would give the dark haired man his warning and whether the physicist heeded it or not was his choice. At least Barry had done his part.

"No more computers," Barry began firmly. "If you need to use one for any reason you will come to one of us and we will help you. But not on your own." It wasn't said unkindly, but it was clearly phrased as an order.

Harrison's eyebrows raised behind his glasses at the gall of this kid. He turned his head slightly and looked at Barry from the sides of his eyes.

"Or what, you'll throw me in you're makeshift prison cell, right?" Harrison replied amused, staring the younger man down, refusing to back down and concede defeat.

"Jay told me about the talk he had with you right before he left," Barry said suddenly and just like that, the smile disappeared from Harrison's face at the non sequitur. Barry watched as he straightened up and dropped his hands to his sides. His eyes widened, and his mouth parted ever so slightly in surprise, like he wanted to say something, before deciding against it and compressing his lips into a firm line. Instead the older man stood silently with an unreadable expression as he waited for the younger man to elaborate.

Barry didn't. Let Wells stew on how much Jay had actually told him. Maybe that uncertainty would preoccupy that genius mind of his enough to stall any further escape attempts for the time being.

Harrison was instantly filled with an internalized, mortified dread. Exactly how _much_ had Garrick told him? Surely he wouldn’t have said anything about…

"Oh, hey!" Caitlin greeted cheerfully as she entered the room. Her smile faltered a bit and her pace slowed as she immediately took in the tension between the two men. She came to a stop a few feet from the entrance.

"Am I…interrupting?" she questioned uncertainly, her gaze flicking back and forth as she clasped her hands together before her.

"No, of course not Dr. Snow," Harrison said politely as he broke eye contact with Barry and focused on her. He turned to face her directly and favored her with a charming smile as he raised a hand to indicate Barry across from him. "Mr…?" he began as he patiently waited for Barry to pick up on his cue.

"Allen," Barry supplied as he rested his hands on his hips. If Harrison wanted to take the formal route with him then fine, he'd let him.

"Mr… _Allen_ and I were just discussing my computer privileges, or more precisely, the lack thereof," he explained tersely before quickly waving the matter away with one hand. "But your arrival is actually quite fortuitous as I have been wanting to speak with you," he added and Barry had to work hard to control his smirk at Harrison's effortless deflection . This Dr. Wells was smooth, real smooth.

"With me?" Caitlin asked, her eyebrows raised in question as she indicated herself with one finger.

"Cisco and I had a talk while I helped him with something. I knew you were a doctor but I had no idea you were such an accomplished biochemist as well," he explained as he side stepped Barry to stand before her.

"Oh!" Caitlin exclaimed, surprised and pleased at the praise. She couldn't help the light blush that colored her cheeks. "Well, thank you Dr. Wells. I'm currently free at the moment so we can have that talk now, that is if it's convenient for you?"

"I would be delighted Dr. Snow," Harrison replied as he held out his left elbow for her to take. It was an old fashioned gesture but one she was obviously not immune to as she willingly slipped her hand through his guiding arm.

"Please, it's Caitlin," she gently corrected him as they turned and headed towards the exit.

"Caitlin," Harrison dutifully repeated as they passed Barry. The two men locked eyes once more before Harrison was behind him and out the door.

Barry stared straight ahead and shook his head after the two had left. This Wells was certainly something else. He just hoped Garrick returned soon. _Very_ soon.

*********************************************************************************************************

Harrison and Caitlin had spent a delightful two hours discussing her work here at Star labs and once again Wells had been struck by the impressive intellectual talent these people possessed. But just like Cisco, she had been selective with what she choose to reveal to him and had been very vague on what they were doing at Star Labs now that the facility had for all intents and purposes, been shut down. When he had delicately inquired about his deceased counterpart and what part he had played here with the hope that this kind young woman would be more forthcoming, she had gently but firmly terminated his line of inquiry with the explanation that it was 'complicated'.

Complicated. Just about everything about this place was complicated Harrison was beginning to see. Here was a small handful of young but incredibly talented people operating a multi billion dollar facility that was _technically_ no longer operational, for the purpose of monitoring and somehow, policing meta humans. What little they had revealed to him was a lot to take in but what they _hadn't_ told him was fueling his curiosity to ever higher levels.

Harrison had a basic understanding of why Cisco and Caitlin were here, what they did. But what about Barry? What was he doing in this facility? What role did he play? While both Cisco and Caitlin had refrained from revealing too much, Caitlin had let slip that Mr. Allen was a crime scene investigator for the Central city police force. That could explain his purpose here, helping the others police the out of control meta humans, using his skill as a CSI to help collect evidence to ultimately persecute those metas that used their powers to commit crimes.

But that simply couldn't be all could it? There was something else about Barry Allen that Harrison couldn't quite put his finger on.

Once more Harrison found himself wandering the gently curving corridor that followed the path of the now dysfunctional particle accelerator, deep in thought, his right hand once again trailing along the smooth cement of the cool walls. The touch helped to ground him, helped to guide him as he let his mind ponder the mysteries of this place and these people, and how he was going to get back home.

It was when he was in a remote and secluded part of the corridor that his trailing touch activated a hidden panel on the wall.

Harrison snatched his hand away and backed up in surprise as a series of interlocking blocks separated to form a door way into the wall.

He quickly looked up and down the hallway to see If anyone had been alerted, to see if he had tripped some sort of alarm. After several tense seconds Harrison concluded that _somehow,_ his unintentional discovery had not been detected. He peered into the darkness. 

"Curiouser and curiouser," he quoted quietly to himself as he slowly entered the darkened room. As soon as he passed the threshold, cool white lighting activated to reveal a small room that followed the same curve of the outer wall. The walls were covered in what must have been hundreds of white semi spheres that he assumed were some sort of sound dampening mechanism. The entrance closed quietly behind him and Harrison turned to watch the complicated panels interlock again to form an almost seamless wall. He turned around slowly on the spot, taking in the emptiness of this hidden room and contemplating it's purpose.

"Now why…would they need this?" he asked out loud. A flicker of light at the back of the room drew his attention to a slim white pedestal he hadn't noticed before. The flicker of light that had initially attracted his attention suddenly transformed itself into the flickering holographic representation of a female head. Harrison immediately took a surprised step back. 

"Hello again Dr. Wells," the holograph said in a pleasant feminine voice.

Harrison stood in shocked silence for a moment before his quick mind rapidly made the connection that this must have been a secret room created by his Earth one counterpart. That's why the holograph knew who he was. But why? What was the reason?

"Hello…," he responded uncertainly with a small wave of his hand, his mind racing with multiple theories as to what all this could possibly mean.

"How may I assist you today?" The voice asked and Harrison's mind immediately filled with all the possible ways this anthropomorphized computer could do just that. What an unexpected stroke of good luck.

"Ah yes. I need some information," he stated probingly, waiting to see if a code phrase or password would be required to access the font of knowledge this sophisticated system possibly held within it's data banks.

"Of course Doctor. I can provide you with information on any subject you may inquire of," the computer supplied helpfully.

Harrison smiled slowly as he clasped his hands in front of him, pleased.

"Wonderful," he began as he stepped closer to the holographic face. He tilted his head slightly and looked at the image from the sides of his eyes. "I believe we have much to discuss."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter but hey, it's still a chapter. Enjoy and please forgive my many, many mistakes.

It was early evening when Barry walked into the medical bay of Star labs, looking for his friends.

"Hey guys, have you seen Dr. Wells? It's been a…," Barry trailed off as both occupants of the room stopped what they were doing to look at him. Cisco was sitting on one of the medical cots with Caitlin standing before him and was in the middle of wrapping the fingers of his right hand in gauze. He stopped and placed his hands in the pockets of his dark blue jacket.

"Do I even want to know?" He asked cautiously, turning his head to the side and squinting at them.

"No," the two said in unison and Barry raised his eyebrows in surprise before acquiescing with a slight dip of his head.

"Okay," he replied and watched as Caitlin went back to finishing wrapping Cisco's hand. "Like I was saying, have you two seen Dr. Wells recently?" he began again as he walked over to a rolling chair and swiveled it around so he could sit down.

"Last I saw him was a around a few hours ago. Haven't seen him since," Caitlin supplied as she cut the trailing strip of gauze and taped it down across Cisco's upper palm. "He's probably just exploring. After all, it must be weird to be suddenly deposited into an alternate universe." She stepped back from the cot and pointed a stern finger at Cisco. "Next time, disconnect the power _first."_

"Yes ma'am," he replied while saluting her with his bandaged hand.

Barry smiled and shook his head at their banter.

"Why are you looking for him anyways?" Caitlin inquired as she replaced the supplies she had been using in the first aid box.

"Just thought it might be a good idea to keep tabs on him," Barry shrugged in his chair. "I mean the man's a certified genius. There's no telling what kind of trouble he can get into in a facility like this and I _did_ promise Jay I would keep an eye on him."

Caitlin smiled in his direction as Cisco hopped down from the medical cot.

"Barry, most of this facility is closed down, has been since the particle accelerator exploded, _and_ you had Cisco lock the computers."

"And there ain't no way anyone's getting past _my_ security measures," Cisco bragged as he buffed the nails of his left hand on his chest, obviously pleased with himself.

It was at that exact moment that all the overhead lights shut off, leaving the three of them in total darkness for a couple of seconds before the emergency lighting kicked in, casting eerie spotlights in the corners of the room.

Barry quickly stood up and all three stared at each other for a moment in surprised confusion. He caught Cisco's eyes in the dim light and he knew they were having the very same thought.

"Wells," they both said simultaneously as they turned and rushed out of the room, Caitlin close on their heels.

Barry skidded to a stop just inside the entrance of the control room. The lights were off here as well but the emergency lights gave off just enough illumination for him to see the outline of Harrison Wells reclining back in a chair in front of the main computer, his feet crossed at the ankles where they were propped up on the tabletop, looking like he didn't have a care in the world. 

"Hello everyone," Harrison began as he turned his head to look at them over his shoulder, giving them a small wave with one hand. "Seems like you're having a bit of a computer issue at the moment," he added unconcernedly as the glow from the one lone monitor still operating reflected eerily in the lenses of his glasses, obscuring his eyes.

"What did you do?" Barry questioned him as he stepped further into the room, his voice holding a noticeable edge to it.

"Oh I think it's pretty obvious what I have done but I'm sure Cisco there could enlighten you if you're still in the dark," he answered flippantly as he uncrossed his ankles and used one foot to push himself and the wheeled chair he was occupying away from the computer, giving Cisco room to access to the keyboard. Barry kept his eyes locked solely on the other man as he heard Cisco frantically begin typing commands into the keyboard. He heard a series of error alerts, one right after the other, followed by several inaudible curses from the long haired man.

"Oh man," Cisco whispered and Barry spared him a quick glance before resuming his vigil over the older scientist.

"What is it?" Caitlin asked as she sidled up beside him to see the screen for herself. Cisco was clearly dumfounded as he continued to type in commands.

"He's completely shut down and locked the system. Nothing works, even my back up commands that I built in as a redundancy aren't working. I can't reboot it either, the computer won't register the command!" He stood back up and ran both hands through his hair. He turned to look at Barry. "We have no main power, no access to the satellite, the monitoring feeds, communications, even the electronic locks on the doors. I'm…I'm not sure I can undo this," he said apprehensively as he turned to regard the older physicist sitting patiently in his chair.

Harrison found three sets of angry eyes trained on him in an instant. They didn't have to say a word for him to see that they were _clearly_ expecting an explanation from him.

"Okay, Let's just say, I stumbled onto a security protocol that my predecessor had hidden deep within the operating code, a safeguard if you will, that completely locks all systems in the case of a hostile takeover, rendering this facility completely inert. Well, inert to everyone but myself of course. Very clever I might add." Harrison explained as he effortlessly pushed himself up out of the chair. "Not unlike the one I had installed in my own facility actually," he added with a smirk as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Barry spared the briefest of moments to ponder where Wells had gained access to a computer, let alone the main operating system since he had confronted him earlier, before pushing it aside for more pressing issues.

"Undo this," Barry ordered him, his voice full of steel.

"Yes, of course I will," Harrison responded helpfully before uncrossing his right arm and indicating the younger man with it. "I'll give you what you want, _just_ as soon as you give me what _I_ want," he finished seriously.

" _What_ do you want?" Barry asked just for the sake of clarity. It was obvious but he wanted to be absolutely sure,

"You know what I want," the physicist shot back. Barry shook his head slowly, his lips set in a tight line.

"I can't take you back," he stated with a note of finality that the other man seemed to be expecting.

"Oh I know you can't, _Flash_ …," Harrison began lowly, practically whispering out Barry's title and was pleased to see the younger man's eyes widen in surprise while the other two shared a concerned look between them. He kept his eyes locked on Barry's as he pointed a finger in Cisco's direction. "…but _he_ can."

"What?" Cisco blurted out, surprised at suddenly becoming the center of attention, hoping it didn't mean what he thought it meant.

"I see gaining access to the computers wasn't the only thing you discovered," Barry stated, shaking his head slowly and frowning at the older man as he placed his hands on his hips.

Harrison smiled and pointed an acknowledging finger at him.

"Correct Mr. Allen," he responded in the tone of voice of a teacher praising a bright student.

"Gideon," Barry heard Caitlin say under her breath and it suddenly all made sense. Harrison must have somehow stumbled onto Thawne's panic room and it's futuristic repository of knowledge. The ultimate computer and one that was specifically designed to answer to Dr. Harrison Wells. That's how he had been able to discover their abilities, especially Cisco's that allowed him to open breaches to other Earths.

"Gideon, is that her name? How lovely. Such a helpful computer," he commented conversationally before locking gazes with Barry once more. "So, what do you say Mr. Allen?" he indicated the dark and lifeless computers with a graceful sweep of one hand. "You take me home and in exchange, I will give you the code that will unlock your facility." He raised one eyebrow in question as he waited for Barry to decide. He didn't have to wait long.

"The only place I will be taking you is the pipeline," Barry declared as he took a step towards the lanky physicist.

"Putting me in there won't make me unlock your systems," Harrison warned hurriedly as he took a retreating step back, one hand raised to stave off the other man's approach.

"No, but it _will_ keep you contained and out of trouble while we find Jay and bring him back here," Barry explained as he took another step towards Wells, pleased to see the dark haired man's expression sour at the mention of Jay's name. "And _he_ will make you," he stated matter of factually.

"I'm afraid you greatly over estimate Garrick's influence over me," Harrison snapped tersely as he backed up a few more steps.

"No, I don't think that I do," Barry replied with a knowing smirk as he crossed the remaining distance between them and quickly reached around Wells' back to fist his hand in the collar of his black long sleeve shirt. Before the other man had a chance to try and pull away, Barry engaged his speed and the two men disappeared in a flash of yellow lightening. Like always, a shower of displaced sheets of paper fluttered in the wake of Barry's speedy departure.

Caitlin and Cisco stood in silence for a moment, processing the sudden change of events they had somehow found themselves in. Cisco was the first to break the silence as the last piece of paper floated gently to the floor.

"Why don't we _ever_ staple anything together around here?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess frequent small chapters is better then waiting a month for a longer one right? Oh well, here's another one for you all. Thanks for being so patient!

In the blink of an eye Harrison went from standing within the control center of Star labs, to falling face first against the back wall of the padded cell Garrick had shown him just a day earlier. He had to brace his hands against the surface to stop his inertial forward momentum from exiting the speed force. Once again his stomach rebelled at being subjected to such speeds but just like before, he was able to tamp down the nausea relatively quickly. He looked over his shoulder to see the metal and glass door slide down into place, effectively locking him within the cell. The fact that there was still power here meant that it must have been on a separate power supply from the main facility which would make sense when you were talking about a prison cell meant to keep dangerous meta humans contained.

Barry stood on the other side of the glass, hand still resting against the control panel, watching him silently with a look on his face that implied he was reliving a similar moment from his past. Had he stood like that before, on the other side of this cell looking in at man that had the exact same face as him?

"Do you have any idea how _unpleasant…_ ," Harrison began as he took a deep breath, "…being pulled into the speed force actually is?" he complained as he straightened up completely, willing away the last butterflies in his stomach in order to turn around and stare back reproachfully at the speedster.

"It's been mentioned once or twice," Barry responded unapologetically as he lowered his hand to cross his arms over his chest. The two men stood silently for a few moments, regarding each other thoughtfully. Harrison was the first to break the silence as he broke eye contact to run his gaze around the inside of his prison.

"So, Barry Allen," he finally said, snapping his fingers before him as he turned back to face the younger man. "Exactly how long do you plan to incarcerate me here?"

"Well that really depends on you now doesn't it Dr. Wells? But for now, you'll stay here as long as it takes for Jay to get here," Barry told him.

"Garrick," Wells muttered to himself as he rolled his eyes heavenward before looking back down at his shoes with a scoff. "That could take weeks," He pointed out as he ran an agitated hand through his dark hair, turning his back to the younger man for a moment to formulate his argument before turning back to face him, jabbing an impatient hand out to the his side. "How are you going to find _one_ man in a _massive_ city on a completely _different_ Earth? Can you _really_ afford for your little crime fighting facility to be offline for that long?" he questioned seriously, hoping Barry would see the logic of his argument and realize that simply taking him back home was the quickest way to end this whole debacle.

Barry responded by pulling out a small circular device from his pant's pocket, holding it up for Harrison to see. As soon as the older man's eyes focused on the small piece of tech, his stomach dropped. He recognized it alright and Barry watched as he took a step closer to the glass, pointing a slim finger at the device he was holding.

"Where did you get that?" Harrison asked seriously, even though he knew exactly where Barry had gotten it.

"I'm assuming you know what this is then?" Barry questioned instead of answering him. He watched as Harrison took a step back to stand in the middle of the cell.

"Of course I know what it is, I invented it!" he snapped peevishly as he gestured towards the device with one agitated hand. "Not only does that man kidnap me and abandon me on a completely different Earth, but he also ends up stealing my tech!" he ranted more to himself then to Barry as he began to pace within the confined space, hand on his hips, face set in a scowl.

Barry placed the homing device back in his pocket. He was watching the other man closely and was able to observe the _exact_ moment when Wells realized the consequences of Barry's possession of the device. It meant that as long as Garrick had on his person the receiving end of that device, then they could pinpoint the older speedster's exact location down to the nearest centimeter in a matter of seconds. And that meant bringing him back here…

"Look, Barry...," Harrison began as he stopped his pacing to face him fully, clasping his hands before him in an almost pleading gesture as he dialed up the charm. "You seem like a reasonable guy…,"

"Oh no," Barry cut him off with a shake of his head, almost laughing out loud at the expression on the older man's face but controlling himself at the last second. He was still angry with him after all. "You decided to do this even though you were warned so you're just going to have to face the consequence's of your own actions," he finished sternly as he turned and made to take a step down the ramp.

"Wait!" Harrison called out, holding up a hand, palm out as if he was trying to physically stop the younger man from leaving. "Surely we can come to some sort of agreement here? Put yourself in my shoes," he said as he locked eyes with him. "Wouldn't you be doing everything you could to get back?"

Barry shook his head slowly.

"No," he began as he regarded the older man. "No, I would trust my friends, trust Jay when he says this is the safest way."

Harrison slammed his closed fist against the glass in a burst of temper.

"Garrick is _not_ my friend," he ground out and Barry knew the dark haired man was speaking more out of frustrated emotion then reason. Garrick himself had told Barry very little but he had heard enough to see that the two men did share a somewhat unorthodox friendship and respected each other even though you wouldn't know it by the way Wells was currently acting.

But enough was enough.

"Are you going to unlock our systems?" Barry asked with one eyebrow raised as he waited for his answer, giving the older man one last chance to do the right thing.

Harrison pursed his lips and lowered his fist from the glass but didn't unfurl it as he contemplated his options here. If he didn't agree then they were going to fetch Garrick and Harrison was reluctant to admit that, that worried him. But if he _did_ agree to turn back over control of their computers, then he would have effectively lost his only bargaining chip to get back home. He would be stuck here.

"No," he answered and he could see the look of disappointment on the younger man's face before he steeled his expression once again, nodding his head once in acknowledgement of Harrison's answer. He turned around and walked down the ramp, reaching up to tap a panel on the wall as he passed.

Harrison watched as a set of secondary blast doors closed before the glass ones of his cell, effectively isolating him from any outside stimulus. The sudden silence was deafening. Harrison ran a weary hand through is hair as looked around the small space, taking in the absolute sparsity of the place.

"Not even a bench," he muttered sourly to himself.

**********************************************************************************************

Garrick stood silently on top of the building as he watched some of Detchwood's goons unload suitcases from a van down at street level. While Detchwood himself was frustratingly elusive, at some point one of these thugs was going to slip up and lead Jay right to him. All jay had to do was be patient…

A breach suddenly opened up behind him and the speedster cursed and whirled away from the edge of the building, hoping Detchwood's men hadn’t been alerted. He turned to see Barry exit the portal to land lightly on the rooftop, sliding slightly in the gravel ballast covering it.

"Barry?" Jay questioned as the younger man waved at him.

"Hi Jay," Barry smiled uncomfortably as he stood before the older speedster. He saw Jay fix him with a look, eyes narrowed. There could only be one possible reason for Barry's sudden appearance here.

Garrick sighed and placed his hands on his hips.

"What did he do?"

********************************************************************************************************

Harrison paced back and forth in the small amount of space he had available to him in the makeshift cell. That hadn't quite gone to plan. He ran a hand across the back of his head, momentarily fisting his hand in his dark hair in frustration before releasing it. He made yet another circuit around the enclosed perimeter. He knew it had been a calculated risk but he had been so sure the odds were in his favor. How could he have known that Garrick had given them a way to find him on his Earth, and so quickly, using his _own_ tech by the way. He thought he would have more time, that Allen and the others would become more desperate the longer they were without their eyes and ears on their city that this facility provided them with. The flash was fast, but even he couldn't be everywhere at once. Then they might have agreed to send him back in desperation.

Tired of pacing, he placed his back to one of the side walls out of view of the door and leaned against it, crossing his ankles as he rested his weight. He ran two weary hands down his face before raising his arms up and interlocking his hands on top of his head, staring blankly at the opposite wall, pondering all the possible scenarios that might play out now.

Maybe they would have trouble locating Garrick. Maybe the homing device would fail? Maybe Garrick was 500 feet down under a mountain suspended over a pool of hungry sharks while Detchwood waxed out a melodramatic victory speech and was thus otherwise occupied.

Harrison actually snorted in amusement at that image.

But Harrison knew his device wouldn't fail, that Barry would eventually find Garrick and bring him back here. Now exactly what was going to happen next was what was really troubling him. He hadn't forgotten the older man's warning. Garrick had promised that if he had to come back to 'deal' with him, then he was going to do what he had done before, only harder, and possibly in front of the others.

Harrison sighed as he dropped his hands from his head in order to fold his arms across his chest in an unconscious attempt at self reassurance. Surely Garrick wouldn't actually go through with that? The first time had been a fluke, a spur of the moment thing due to high emotions and a direct response to Harrison's attempt at decking him. Garrick had simply reacted, that was all.

This time would be different. Wouldn't it?

The fact that Harrison had no sure answer to that question had him suddenly rethinking his decision to take over this Earth's Star labs in order to force them to send him back.

He sighed again as he waited…


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually know squat diddly about computers but you probably already knew that. Anyways, enjoy and forgive any mistakes.

Jay and Barry walked in silence as they made their way down to the pipeline. Barry had explained the situation to the older speedster on the roof top back on Earth three and while Jay had been visibly displeased, he seemed to take it with a resigned acceptance. It was when they had exited Cisco's breach back inside the darkened lab with it's dim emergency lighting and dead computer monitors that Jay's ire seemed to notch itself up into the seriously pissed range.

Harrison had done this, seriously hobbling and inconveniencing his friends and Jay was just as much to blame since he had brought the man here. Jay had warned him and he _still_ went and did such a stupid and selfish thing. How can a man so brilliant be so completely dense? Well one thing was for sure, Jay was going to make absolutely sure that Harrison knew the error of disobeying him in this instance.

Barry could feel the anger rolling off the other man as he lead the way down the corridor and was actually feeling kind of sorry for Dr. Wells. Not sorry enough to stop whatever was about to transpire between them but still, he was eternally grateful he wasn't in the dark haired physicist's shoes right now.

They finally entered the pipeline and Jay made a B-line for the door, planting himself directly in front of it with arms crossed over his chest, as Barry took up position next to the control panel.

"Open it," Jay barked and Barry's finger's triggered the panel automatically at the authority in the older man's voice. The opaque blast doors opened to reveal the inner metal and glass door to the cell that also opened after a few seconds delay. They didn't immediately see Wells but a moment later his head popped out from around the corner to look at who had arrived. When his eyes landed on Jay standing before the only exit like an avenging angel at the gates of hell, he couldn’t help swallow at the sudden dryness of his throat.

Harrison reluctantly pulled his head back in order to push himself away from the wall and make his way slowly to the cell opening. This was the moment of reckoning he supposed. No use putting it off any longer. Not willing to let the two speedsters see how uncomfortable and nervous he was, Harrison cloaked himself in all the confident dignity a man of his accomplishments could muster. It was his only defense and he damn well needed all the help he could get at the moment.

"Well," he began nonchalantly as he clasped his hands behind him, standing before the two irritated speedsters. "It appears my tracking device preformed admirably, as was to be expected," he quipped as he stepped to the threshold and patiently waited. Barry simply shook his head slightly, whether in exasperation or warning was unclear but the tightening of the muscles in Garrick's jaw needed no interpretation. The older man was clearly angry.

Harrison looked back and forth between Barry and Jay, waiting for one of them to say something but the older man simply continued to stand there glowering, not saying a word. Unable to help himself, even knowing that the older speedster was on the brink of losing his composure and that he would only be digging himself a deeper hole, Harrison fixed his cool blue gaze on Garrick's stern features.

"What's the matter Garrick? Thought you would have started with your self righteous monolog by now. Waiting for your soap box to arrive…?" he mocked and immediately realized it was the worst possible thing he could have done as Garrick exploded into action, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye and latching onto the back collar of his black shirt, pulling the material uncomfortably tight against his throat as he yanked him out of the cell and began dragging him down the ramp.

"Not so rough!" he struggled to say as Garrick began to frog march him out the door and into the corridor. He was vaguely aware of Barry trailing behind them. Garrick didn't let up on the pressure and Harrison found himself inserting a finger between the collar of his shirt and his neck, trying to create some space between the stretched material and the delicate skin of his throat. The pace Garrick set was brisk but not impossible for a normal person to keep up with and Harrison was beginning to suspect that Garrick was drawing this out. He could have whisked him to wherever he was taking him to in a second but instead chose to manually escort him. Harrison suspected it was simply to increase his own trepidation but he stubbornly refused to fall for it and walked as calmly as he could before the older man as he was rather forcibly propelled through the corridor. He knew struggling would get him nowhere and didn't want to make this anymore of a spectacle then it already was.

It seemed to take ages for the trio to reach their destination. As soon as they entered the darkened main control room, Jay immediately hauled him over to the one monitor with power that Cisco was currently bent over. The younger man quickly side stepped out of the way as Jay shoved Wells towards the desk, finally releasing his strangle hold on his collar.

Harrison stumbled against the desk's edge and had to throw down both hands on the tabletop to stop from falling face first across it. Garrick must have been angrier then he had thought. He went to straighten up and turn around but he suddenly felt Garrick's body press up behind him, crowding him, keeping him in position in front of the computer. Harrison could feel the edge of the desk digging into his upper thighs as a heavy hand landed on the back of his neck, strong fingers wrapping around him and applying pressure, keeping him bent over.

"Fix it," was all the older man said as he held him down.

Harrison took a calming breath as he assessed his options. He tried to turn his head in order to see where the others were in the room but Garrick simply tightened his hold across the back of his neck, forcing him to keep his gaze locked on the blank screen before him.

"I said _fix_ it," Garrick growled directly in his ear and Harrison could hear the deadly seriousness in the older man's voice. The lanky scientist knew he wasn't in any position to argue but he was reluctant to relinquish the only leverage he had.

"You are under the assumption that I can _actually_ undo this," he began but was quickly silenced by Garrick giving him a firm shake, causing him to grimace and squeeze his eyes shut at the force of the gesture as his hands tried to brace against the sudden jarring.

"You know _damn_ well that you can so _stop_ playing games and unlock the system before I _really_ lose my temper," Garrick all but spat at him with another prompting jolt and Harrison instinctually knew that he had pushed the speedster to his limit. He huffed silently to himself as he lifted his right hand up to push his glasses back into place. It was very clear that Garrick was not going to let this go until Harrison did as he asked. He had briefly entertained the thought of drawing this out, hoping Garrick would lose patience and _finally_ give in and haul his uncooperative ass back home if only to spare his friends anymore grief but he could tell Garrick was determined to make Harrison do this one way or another and he was beginning to worry that if he didn't do it quickly, Garrick might actually go through with the threat he had made before he had left. That had to be avoided at all costs.

Harrison sighed softly again, but this time in defeat.

"Alright, fine," he finally said as he reached for the keyboard and pulled it closer to him with one hand. "Could you give me a little space here?" he added testily as he tried to shrug off Garrick's restraining hand and force some space between them. The hand simply tightened further across his neck and Garrick pressed even more closely behind him, practically flush with his back, leaving Harrison no room to maneuver.

"No," was the clipped reply and Harrison shook his head at the other man's little display of dominance. The other's must have been getting quite the show here even though he hadn't heard them say a word since they had entered. Suddenly tired with this whole game, Harrison reached forward and let his fingers fly across the keys. He entered in a string of numbers and letters into a small window he had somehow pulled up on the locked screen and within a matter of seconds, the system let out a series of beeps in rapid succession and the blank blue screen was replaced with the familiar Star Labs logo.

The overhead lights flooded back on with such a brilliance that everyone had to squint their eyes against it after becoming accustomed to the dimness of the emergency lighting. The darkened monitors flickered back on and the normal start up screen appeared.

"There," Harrison declared as he moved to straighten up and away from the screen and was a bit surprised when Garrick _actually_ allowed him. The restraining hand on the back of his neck disappeared and the slim man was relieved until he felt that same hand slip into the back waistband of his black khakis and wrap tightly around the black belt he was wearing. Before he could voice a protest, Garrick yanked on the belt, pulling Harrison unceremoniously away from the computer, forcing the younger man to walk backwards before jerking him to a stop directly beside him.

"What the he…" Harrison began to say but Garrick interrupted him a firm " _Quiet_."

Jay kept his grip on the back of the other scientist's belt as he turned to address Cisco who was staring at them with wide eyes.

"You might want to double check and make sure everything is operational again," he explained as he indicated the computer before them with his free hand.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Cisco said uncomfortably as he tore his gaze away from the two older men and went over to the computer. He typed in a few commands and opened up a few directories. "Seems like it's all working," he said as he pulled up the satellite link, pleased to see the green light indicating communications had been restored.

"Any permanent damage?" Jay asked as Harrison shifted his weight next to him, trying to regain some of his personal space. Garrick yanked firmly on the belt in his hold, forcing the younger man flush against his right side.

Harrison grimaced and crossed his arms over his chest and turned his face away, embarrassed at the manhandling. He refused to meet anyone's eyes as he resignedly waited for Garrick to make his next move.

"I don't think so," Cisco responded as he ran a few diagnostic tests. All came back nominal. "Nope, everything's running as it should," he finished as he stood back up, turning around to face them. "Mr. Hammond, I think we're back in business," he quoted.

"That's a relief," Caitlin muttered as she brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Barry stood silently, watching the two older men. Jay turned his head slightly to meet his eyes and Barry raised one eyebrow in return in question. A slight nod from the older man gave the younger speedster all the conformation he needed that Jay was about to make good on the threat he had made Dr. Wells earlier. Barry nodded slightly in return, indicating that he understood and wouldn't interfere.

Jay returned his attention back the younger man he still held in place by his side. 

"Now as for you…," Garrick practically growled at him and Harrison quickly snapped his head back around to look at him. That had sounded rather ominous. The older man reached over for one of the discarded wheeled chairs that was within reach and proceeded to lower the adjustable arm rests one handedly, effectively turning it into an armless seat. Harrison's lips parted in concerned confusion as he watched Garrick, trying to control the sudden butterflies he could feel fluttering in his stomach. Surely Garrick wasn't about to…

"I believe I made you a promise," he stated sternly as he released his hold on the back of Harrison's belt in order to latch onto the other man's left arm, stepping around and in front of him so he could look the other man right in the eye.

Harrison stared back at him in shock for a second before scoffing quietly in disbelief. Garrick wouldn't do that. Not here, not right now. This was just a bluff to scare him, intimidate him. He wouldn't actually go through with it, especially with the others standing there watching. A thousand reason's ran through his mind as to why Garrick wasn't about to do what he was implying but one by one they died away as he observed the resolute expression on the other man's face, felt the tightening of the warm hand around his upper arm.

Oh God, he was actually going to do this...

Harrison's eyes widened and his breath quickened as his fight or flight response kicked in. He unconsciously took a step back but it was pointless as the older man easily held him in place.

"Well, please feel free to break it," Harrison snapped nervously, leaning as far away from Garrick as the grip on his arm would allow. He felt a jerk and was suddenly pulled closer, losing all the ground he had gained, as miniscule as it was. He was practically face to face now with the other man and the two locked eyes.

"You know I never break a promise…"


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possibly one more chapter after this. We'll see how it goes. Enjoy. Didn't really edit his soooo....

Harrison shook his head slowly in denial as he stared at the older man, his blue eyes wide. This wasn't happening, not again. Harrison felt Garrick tug on his arm again as the older man sat down on the chair, forcing him to bend over slightly at the waist. He was still positioned directly in front of the older speedster so he twisted his body to the right in order to slide one foot back. It took him a moment but he finally found his voice.

"No," he declared firmly as he pulled violently against the grip on his arm, attempting to twist it up and out of Garrick's hold. Absolutely not. He wasn't going to allow this.

"Jay, what are you doing?" he heard Caitlin in say in a concerned voice from somewhere behind him as he planted his feet against the other man's pull.

Jay didn't immediately answer as he leaned forward on the edge of the chair he was sat in and planted his own feet to keep Harrison from pulling the wheeled chair, along with him in it across the room. He gave the arm in his grip the hardest yank yet and Harrison stumbled forward against him in surprise, throwing a hand down against Jay's knee to support himself. The older man quickly switched his grip on the younger man's arm in order to free up his right hand which he quickly fisted around the back of Harrison's belt, yanking him roughly to his right side.

Harrison struggled to keep his feet under him at the manhandling. Knowing what was going to happen next based on his last experience, he quickly dropped down to one knee and planted both his hands against Jay's right thigh, bracing his body against the chair frame in order to prevent Garrick from hauling him down over his lap.

"You're really going to make this as difficult as you can aren't you…," Jay grunted as he released Harrison's belt in order to reach up and grab the dark haired man's left ear which he proceeded to pinch, _hard_.

"Gah, you son of a…," Harrison yelped out in surprised pain as he lifted one hand up to try and detach Garrick's hold on his ear.

That slight weakening in the other man's braced resistance was all Jay needed. He pulled on the arm in his left hand with considerable force, causing Harrison's upper body to lean over across his knees as his only supporting hand slipped out from under him. Jay quickly released the ear in order to once more grab onto Harrison's belt and finish hauling him over his lap.

Harrison couldn't stop his forward momentum and despite all his efforts, he found himself stomach down over Garrick's lap. The older man was still pulling on his belt, positioning him even further across his knees and only stopped when the front of Harrison's thighs were flush with the side of his own, leaving his backside perched perfectly over Jay's right leg. He grabbed onto Jay's left knee with his right hand as he used his other to try and leverage himself up by pushing against the floor that was now uncomfortably close to his face. A heavy weight wrapped around his middle and pulled him against Garrick's stomach, pressing him down against the hard thighs. He could hear the startled voices of the others as they no doubt demanded an explanation but he couldn't make out their exact words over the rush of blood pounding through his ears. Like last time, Harrison couldn't get his feet under him and the toes of his white soled canvas shoes were the only part of him that could find any purchase and they pushed ineffectively against the floor.

The slap that landed across the center of his rear was so sudden, so sharp and painful that Harrison sucked in a surprised breath and squeezed his eyes tightly shut in an attempt ride out the pain. That had been a _lot_ harder then first time. If that first swat was anything to go by then Harrison was in for the spanking of his life.

"What is happening right now?" he heard Cisco demand in bewilderment as Caitlin began voicing her own protests. Another hefty smack drowned out their voices and all Harrison could concentrate on was the pain he was feeling in his backside after only two swats.

"Stop it!" he cried out as Garrick smacked him a third time, then a fourth. "For _Christ's sake_ Garrick!" he yelled back over his shoulder as he struggled over the older man's lap. There was no way he was going to be able to take many more swats at this rate. Garrick was really letting him have it.

"I warned you Harrison," was all he said as he concentrated on covering every inch of the squirming backside before him. He wasn't going to lecture, wasn't going to rehash what had already been said. Harrison knew exactly why he was here and now was the time for punishment. Over and over he let his hand fall, keeping it flat as he slapped the firm cheeks, striking the younger man with enough force to jar him slightly forward with each swat. Harrison was fighting him for all he was worth but Jay held him down with little effort, never faltering in his aim.

The pain was building quickly and Harrison had to bite his lip to keep himself from making a sound. Why did this man's hand hurt so much? It wasn't like Garrick was using anything to hit him with, it was just his hand. So why did it feel like a piece of wood slamming into his backside? After a rather particularly hard swat, Harrison instinctually retaliated by slamming his right fist into the shin bone of Garrick's left leg with enough force to make the older man grunt in discomfort and his own hand tingle. His satisfaction lasted all of two seconds though before Garrick let loose a barrage of slaps to the back of his upper thighs that had his eyes involuntarily watering at the pain of it.

"Ow! Ah!" Harrison cried out as he tried to throw his right hand back to block the blows. Jay simply grabbed his wrist and shoved it down and away before continuing to pepper Harrison's upper thigh's and undercurve of his backside with sharp stinging pops. When Harrison once more tried to cover himself, Garrick grabbed the offending hand and twisted it in such a way that allowed him to land three rapid smacks ti the back of it. The effect was immediate as Harrison grunted in pain, quickly yanking his hand out of the other man's grasp to bring it forward and out of harms reach. Satisfied that he had gotten his point across about interference, Jay wrapped his arm once more around the narrow waist and focused on landing firm slaps to the lower undercurve of Harrison's backside where he would feel it the most whenever he sat down.

Harrison couldn't stop his legs from jerking with each swat and knew he must look absolutely ridiculous. They would straighten then bend alternately depending on which cheek Garrick struck. He had to place both hands on the floor now to help support his upper body and found himself clenching them into fists whenever the older man smacked him on the more sensitive parts of his rear like right on the crease where buttock met thigh, a spot Garrick seemed to favor.

Harrison clenched his eyes shut and let out several deep breaths as he struggled to handle the pain. Even though he knew a swat was coming, exactly when and where it landed on his backside was always startling as he couldn't see Garrick's hand behind him. He wanted to rage, to curse, to verbally attack the man who was punishing him but he knew it would only succeed in causing the older speedster to smack him all the harder and he was being smacked hard enough as it was, thank you very much. As this dragged on Harrison was actually worried that he might make an absolute fool of himself and tear up. It wouldn't be his fault he knew, just a normal reaction to the pain Garrick was causing him but still.

"Are you actually _filming_ this!?" he suddenly heard Caitlin's scandalized voice say and he turned his head enough to see Cisco holding up his phone sideways before him with the device aimed towards he and Garrick. Oh God, this just couldn't get any more humiliating. Harrison quickly dropped his head and turned his face away.

"Oh yeah," he heard Cisco respond over the sound of flesh hitting cloth. "I can't _wait_ to show this to Harry the next time he's being particularly douchey," he heard him explain before he next heard the click of Caitlin's heels on the polished floor, followed by an affronted "Hey!" from the long haired man and assumed she had snatched the device away from him. At least he _hoped_ she had.

Garrick ignored the exchange as he continued to thoroughly spank the slim man over his knees. He knew he was making some progress as Harrison had just recently stopped actively fighting him and was now simply reacting to the pain. He realized it might seem a little harsh but he had to make certain that Harrison didn't do anything like this again. It's not like he can just pop over to Earth one every five seconds. He had a dangerous man he was trying to stop and needed to focus his attention on that. If that meant blistering the younger man's tail till he couldn't sit down for a couple of days to force him think before acting so selfishly, then so be it. He could hear the other man hissing in pain, his breath hitching mid breath whenever Jay landed an extra stinging swat.

Harrison hung his head as he cursed himself for ever _touching_ the damn computer. This was definitely not worth it. He had no idea a spanking could hurt this much. While he had been subjected to a few growing up, his father had always been afraid of actually hurting his son and had errored on the side of caution, making the spankings more humiliating then painful. Apparently Garrick had no such qualms and Harrison suspected that he was going to have some difficulty sitting in the foreseeable future. As each swat brought the accumulated pain to ever higher levels, Harrison felt something inside him finally give and he reached out his right hand to grab Garrick's ankle, tightening his long fingers around the sturdy boot, anchoring himself to the older man.

"Please," he began in a thick and strained voice as he held on tightly. "Please Jay, stop," he called over his shoulder, desperately blinking back the moisture that was stubbornly beginning to blur his vision.

Jay paused, palm held high as he registered the defeat in the other man's voice. _Finally_. He looked down at the bowed dark head as he slowly lowered his hand, deliberately placing it against the burning seat of the other man's slacks. He heard Harrison hiss in discomfort and he shifted uneasily over his knees but otherwise remained where he was. The use of his first name hadn't gone unnoticed and Jay was optimistically hopeful that this spanking had done what he had intended it to. He could feel Harrison breathing heavily and it matched his own labored breathing. He gave them a moment to catch their collective breath and took that time to look up and gauge the reaction of the others in the room.

Cisco stood with a look that was a combination of disbelief warring with amusement, undecided as to which he was more inclined to embrace. Caitlin's expression clearly displayed one of disapproval but that was to be expected with such a kind hearted soul such as herself. Not to mention the Hippocratic oath to do no harm she took when she earned her medical degree. Barry's expression was mostly neutral with maybe a hint of sympathy as he stood leaning against a wall, arms crossed over his chest. Whether that sympathy was for Wells or Jay, the older speedster had no idea. Knowing Barry as he did, it was probably both.

He looked back down at Harrison and could feel through their shared contact that his breathing had finally slowed to a more normal rate. Coming to a decision he unwrapped his restraining arm from around the younger man's waist and placed his left hand on his back, giving him a few comforting pats.

Feeling Garrick's hold loosen, Harrison immediately made to push himself up but that comforting hand on his back became firm again and pressed him down against the speedster's lap, refusing to let him up just yet. He let out a frustrated sigh but allowed his body to relax once more over the other man's knees, placing both palms back on the cool floor. He wasn't getting up until Garrick let him and he simply didn't have the energy to fight him anymore. His backside throbbed and tingled at the same time, demanding most of his attention as he idly wondered how long it would take for the painful sensations to fade. Probably a lot quicker then the humiliation he was also feeling at the moment.

"You going to cause anymore trouble?" he heard Garrick ask him and Harrison stubbornly turned his head away from everyone, refusing to answer. He had been embarrassed enough. He wasn't going to promise to be good like a child that had been taken to task even though that was essentially what Garrick had just done.

"I'm going to need a verbal response from you Harrison," the other man chided as he lifted his right hand off the warmed seat of the younger man's trousers in order to bring it down in a light, but firm pat to one of his cheeks.

Harrison jumped when he felt the tap. It wasn't a harsh swat like the ones before but his backside was so sore that even that light pat was uncomfortable. Still, he wasn't going to answer him. It was an immature gesture but he needed at least one victory today. Another pat landed on his other cheek, followed by another, then another. Garrick was keeping them light but it was still uncomfortable and Harrison found himself shifting again over the older man's knees.

Pat, pat, pat.

Apparently Garrick was going to keep this up until he answered him. Harrison stubbornly held out for all of one minute longer of this before he finally had enough.

"Alright!" he called out as he made to push himself up again. Just like before, Garrick forced him back down and held him there. None of this was going to be on Harrison's terms and the sooner he realized that, the easier this would be for both of them.

"You going to answer the question?" Jay said again as he laid his hand across the younger man's rear, feeling Harrison's flinch at the contact.

"Fine," was the defeated response he heard coming from the vicinity of the floor.

"Fine _what_?" Jay demanded and he could feel the muscles of the slim body beneath him tense.

Harrison sighed in pure frustration as he shook his head slightly. Damn that man, he must be enjoying this.

"Fine, I won't cause anymore trouble," he parroted back sarcastically as he rolled his eyes heavenward. A second later he felt Garrick land the hardest swat yet on his already sore backside and he couldn't hold back a yelp of pain as he jerked over his knee.

" _Jesus_!" he yelled as he reflexively grabbed onto Garrick's ankle again to help anchor him against the pain. God that had hurt!

"Good, see that you don't," Garrick admonished him sternly before finally releasing his hold on the younger man and giving him the opportunity to stand back up.

Harrison breathed through the lingering pain from that final swat as he felt Garrick ease up off his back, indicating that he could get up. Miserable and sore, Harrison simply pushed himself backwards across Garrick's lap in order to slide off and onto his knee's on the floor next to him. He felt the older man reach a hand under his left arm in order to help him up but Harrison shrugged it off and pushed himself up to his feet without any assistance. Just the movement of his thin slacks over his punished backside caused him noticeable discomfort.

Harrison refused to meet anyone's eyes as he quickly turned and made his way to the exit, determined to escape with as much dignity as he could even though he knew he had next to none at this point. He walked stiffly past Cisco and Caitlin before passing Barry who was near the exit. He could feel their eyes on him but he ignored it and turned the corner without a backwards glance.

The others watched him leave before turning back to Jay who had stood up and was shaking out his right hand.

"Um," Cisco said as he raised one finger up in the air before him. "I have questions."

"So do I," Caitlin added as she crossed her arms unhappily before her.

Jay sighed as he attempted to rub out the sting from his palm. He turned to spy Barry watching him with a slight smirk on his face.

"You can jump in any time Barry," he said while indicating the other two with one hand. This was going to require a rather lengthy explanation and it couldn't hurt to have Barry on his side.

"Oh no Jay, this is all you," he replied as he lifted his hands up in a gesture that implied he was washing his hands of the matter.

"Right," Garrick muttered before turning to face the others. "I should probably start from the beginning."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be the end but I don't want to leave these two quite yet. I want more Jay and Harrison interaction, more dialogue, more comfort in this story so I guess there's going to be a little more then I originally planned. Thanks to all those who commented to let me know how you're enjoying it. Really gets the creative fires going. And as always, please forgive any mistakes.

Harrison folded his arms over the top of the cement wall at the edge of Star Labs' rooftop as he watched the twinkling lights of the city, a cool breeze ruffling his dark hair in the warm evening air. He sighed quietly to himself as his mind relived his humiliation from a few hours earlier over and over again. Even just the act of bending over slightly in order to lean against the wall caused the fabric of his pants to pull against his still sore behind, refusing to let him forget.

After he had escaped the control room and the eyes of those who had stood by and watched, he went searching for a place within the extensive facility that he could be completely and utterly alone. A place where no one would find him. After about a twenty minute search, he eventually decided on the roof and he had been there ever since. At least up here no one could see him rubbing out the sting in his rear, something he found himself doing more then once and had to force himself to stop. It was only a momentary relief anyways. The initial pain had dulled somewhat but every movement was a constant reminder that he had been thoroughly spanked and that would bring him right back to that moment in his mind. Harrison tried to break that circular train of thought by trying to come up with a way to avoid everyone for the duration of his stay here. He didn't think he would be able to face them after what they had witnessed and he couldn't bare to think of what they might say to him.

It was while he was deep in thought over how best to accomplish this that his ears suddenly picked out the sound of footsteps off to his left. Harrison turned his head to see who dared to interrupt his self imposed solitude and felt a jolt of anger as he spied the form of Jay Garrick.

What the hell did this man want now?

Harrison said nothing as the speedster came to a respectful stop several feet away, staring at the older man with an expression that conveyed much more of what he was feeling then words ever could at the moment.

"Gotta admit, it took some doing finding you," Jay said as he looked around the large open rooftop with it's sentinels of steel and glass. "Didn't expect to find you up here."

That had been the whole point but Harrison refused to engage with him, hoping the other man would take the obvious hint and leave him alone.

Jay had picked up on Harrison's unspoken demand to leave but he ignored it. He was here to make sure Harrison was alright and to hopefully make sure _they_ were alright as well. It was a conversation he knew they had to have and one that the younger man would never initiate. So, it was up to him.

"I had a long talk with Caitlin, or rather her with me," he began a little ruefully as he ran a hand across the back of his neck. "My ears are still burning let me tell you…,"

Harrison pushed away from the wall and abruptly turned his back on the other man, walking away from him and whatever he had to say. If Garrick wouldn't leave him alone, then Harrison would just remove himself from his vicinity.

"Hey now, wait a minute Harrison…," he heard Garrick call out to him but he just kept walking. A second later Garrick stood directly in his path, the ghostly afterglow of yellow lightening trailing behind him.

"Look, I'm just here to make sure…," he tried again with palms raised.

Harrison turned on his heel and began walking away in the other direction. A sudden breeze and another streak of lightening had Garrick blocking his way once again. Not even giving him a chance to speak, Harrison tried yet another direction but this attempt ended exactly the same as the rest, with Garrick standing in his way, preventing him from retreating. Harrison finally stood still, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw as he tried to control the anger that was building in him. It was taking a surprising amount of effort.

"I know I'm the last person you want to see right now," Jay began but Harrison suddenly cut him off.

"Then go away!" he snapped angrily at the speedster, frustrated by Garrick's refusal to let him leave. He knew he wasn't going to leave this rooftop until Garrick had his say and it pissed him off all the more.

"I can't do that," Garrick said calmly as he eyed the tense body language of the other man. Clearly Harrison was on edge and Jay wasn't looking to push him over it. That wasn't why he was here.

Harrison threw his hands up in the air and shook his head as he turned around and walked the few feet back towards the wall he had been leaning against originally, once more resting his arms along the top of it and fixing his gaze resolutely on the city lights.

Jay made his way over to the wall and mirrored Harrison's position, resting his forearms along the smooth concrete. He stood silently, allowing Harrison to become accustomed to his presence. He could see the dark haired man out of the corner of his eye, noticing his refusal to look at him. It seemed that Harrison was going to make this talk as difficult as he had the spanking. Jay couldn't blame him though. He knew Harrison was feeling a lot of different emotions right now and Jay was just going to have to wade his way carefully through them. After about five minutes of quietly looking out over the city nightscape, he tried once again to initiate a conversation with the silent man.

"I wanted to check up on you before I left," he started as he stared out at the lights. He cast a quick glace at the other man beside him. No response. Garrick turned his head fully in order regard the younger man. "Really, how are you Harrison?" he asked sincerely.

"If I tell you I'm fine, would you leave?" Harrison said flatly as he finally broke his vow of silence, although he still refused to look at him.

"Only if you could look me in the eye and mean it," Jay replied. He watched as Harrison promptly turned to face him, right hand propped on the wall, his left placed on his hip as he looked directly at him, leaning slightly forward and locking eyes.

"I'm _fine_ ," he enunciated slowly, staring hard at him, his blue eyes daring him to challenge him on that statement.

Which of course, Jay promptly did.

"Don't lie to me," he said sternly and he could see the younger man take a mental step back at his tone.

The spanking he had received was still too fresh in his mind for him to seriously challenge Jay so after a moment, Harrison let out a small scoff of disgust before turning back to the wall.

"Then why did you even bother asking?" he mumbled testily.

"Because I genuinely want to know," Jay replied as he watched the younger man hunch his shoulders as he placed his elbows back on the wall. Harrison didn't say anything more and Jay sighed to himself. Oh well, time to get this over with.

"Like I said before, I was talking with Caitlin and she's concerned for you," he explained. Harrison cocked his head a little, an indication that he was listening to what Jay was saying. "She's worried I might have hit you a little too hard, that there might be bruises," he added even though he knew that he had been careful with the force he had applied. Still Harrison said nothing.

"She asked me to make sure there weren't," he said and braced himself for the other man's reaction.

"You can just go and tell her that I'm fine and that if she's so _concerned_ , why didn't she try to stop you?" Harrison said coolly as he turned his head towards him.

Garrick pushed himself away from the wall and stood at his full height, pointing a finger at the suddenly perturbed physicist.

"Don't you dare blame her for what happened. That was all on you and you _know_ it. She's just showing concern for your wellbeing and you should damn well appreciate it after the grief you put these people through," Jay admonished him and Harrison had the good grace to lower his eyes and look away. He knew Garrick was right. Still didn't make it any easier to hear though.

"She made me promise to check you for bruises and that's exactly what I'm going to do," he announced and he watched as Harrison snapped his head back around, eyes wide in indignation as he stood up straight, mouth parted as if he was about to say something. Jay quickly threw up both hands in a stalling gesture.

"Before you get your feathers all ruffled again, I'm not talking about taking down your trousers or anything like that," he began and could tell that's exactly what Harrison had thought. "There is another way for me to check without removing or adjusting any clothing of _any_ kind."

Harrison narrowed his eyes.

"And _how_ exactly, would you do that?" he asked with sarcastic caution, not sure if he was going to like this alternative any better.

"By feel," Garrick said a bit reluctantly, knowing this wouldn't go down well with the younger man.

Nope, he didn't like it one tiny bit.

Harrison whirled around completely and waved an outraged hand in Garrick's direction.

"Oh! Oh, so now you want to put your hands down my pants?! How in the _hell,_ is _that_ any better?!" He threw at the older man as he began to pace on the spot in pure agitation. "I'm _really_ starting to wonder about you Garrick…," Harrison warned him as he placed his hands on his hips, making another turn to pace back the other way.

" _No_..." Jay clarified forcibly in irritation as he closed his eyes and brought a hand up to the bridge of his nose to pinch out the tension he was feeling between his eyes. Why did interacting with Wells always do this to him? " _Not_ like that. What part of ' _not removing or adjusting any clothing_ ,' did you not get?"

Harrison stopped his pacing and held up one hand in a halt gesture. "How about this, how about I just _tell_ you if I have any bruises?" he quipped somewhat obnoxiously, shrugging his shoulders and holding his hands wide out to his sides, lifting his eyebrows in such a way that implied it was so stupidly obvious that even Garrick should have thought of it.

"I would if I could trust you to tell me the truth but you've already proven tonight that I can't so we're just going to have to do this my way. Trust me, I'll be able to tell," Jay explained to him way more patiently then he actually felt at the moment.

Harrison dropped his hands to his sides, as he shook his head at the older man.

"No," he said with a note of finality. He wasn't going to allow Jay to do that. Jay could easily tell Dr. Snow anything he wanted. There was no need for him to actually check _anything_ so…

"I promised," Garrick said and he and Harrison stared at each other for several long seconds as those two simple words sat heavily between them. Harrison was the first to speak as he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"And you never break a promise," he quoted back miserably as he turned back to the wall and stood before it, placing his hands on top of it and leaning against it. He wasn't going to win this. As much as he hated the very idea of it, the sooner they got this over with, the sooner Garrick would leave.

Jay watched him for a moment longer, trying to read his body language. Harrison was definitely unhappy but he didn't seem poised to attack as soon as Jay got near him so maybe he had accepted that this was going to happen. Still, he wanted a little conformation.

"You going to let me do this?" he asked seriously.

"Could I stop you?" Harrison shot back just as seriously and Jay felt the corner of his mouth quirk up in a smile.

"No," he admitted and watched as Harrison sighed and shook his head once in resignation before turning back to the view, beyond the rooftop of Star Labs. Harrison said nothing more and Jay took that as a sign of not exactly permission, but more like an indication that he wouldn't stop him.

He crossed the distance between them and stood slightly off to Harrison's left side. As slowly as he could, he placed his left arm around the front of the younger man, curling it around his stomach in a supporting gesture since he was going to be applying pressure against him and didn't want the younger man to have to worry about losing balance or anything like that even though he had his hands braced against the concrete wall. Harrison let him and he took that as another sign that he wasn't going to fight him on this, and used his right hand to pat him twice on the back before keeping it lightly pressed against his black long sleeved shirt, trailing it slowly down the slim man's body in order to not startle him and let him feel where his hand was at all times.

"If it hurts, I want you to say something," Garrick told him as he stalled his hand at the other man's belt line, right at the small of his back.

"All of it hurts," Harrison muttered as he closed his eyes, wishing Garrick would just hurry up.

"You know what I mean," Jay scolded him gently as he tapped him lightly once on the back in warning. 

Harrison let out a deep sigh.

"Fine," he acquiesced as he gripped the edge of the waist high wall he was leaning against, Garrick's supporting arm was warm against the thinness of his cotton shirt.

"Steady now," Jay warned him as he started to move his hand lower.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the end. Thanks for sticking with it. Sorry if it feels a little rushed but well, I rushed it. Got excited about another fic and started writing that one in my head and it started getting in the way of this one. I might come back and add a little more at some point but we'll see. Enjoy and excuse any mistakes.

Jay let his hand slide down to the top of Harrison's left buttock, holding it there lightly for a moment to gauge how Harrison was taking it. He had felt the younger man tense under his hold, but that had been more from the idea of feeling Jay's hand once more on his backside then any reaction to pain. Jay hadn't landed many swats this high anyways, preferring to concentrate most of his swats along the lower curve of his cheeks. He kept his palm flat as he pressed it against the firm yet yielding flesh, holding it there as he felt for a reaction from the other man.

Harrison stood still as Garrick's hand pressed into him, feeling the heat from the other man's hand even through two layers of clothing. It was uncomfortable but not painful. He felt Garrick release the pressure against him before sliding his hand about an inch lower and repeating the process. This time the large hand was starting to press into an area of his behind that had received more attention and it caused more discomfort this time. Harrison couldn't help shifting his weight to his right leg in a subconscious effort to move his rear away from the pressure.

Jay had felt the large muscle tense under his hand and knew that the lower he went, the more Harrison was going to react. He was going to have to be careful to interpret Harrison's every movement correctly in order to discover if the younger man _actually_ had any bruises. While some tensing and shifting was to be expected, Jay knew just pressing the flat of his palm against Harrison's sore backside wouldn't actually cause him pain, just discomfort. But if his probing fingers pressed into a bruise, then that _would_ cause him pain and Jay was confident that he would be able to tell if and when that happened.

He lowered his hand another couple of inches and now his palm covered the roundest part of Harrison's buttock. Once again he applied some pressure and held it as he waited to see if Harrison would react. The other man tensed his stomach muscles and shifted his weight back to his left leg but otherwise his reactions remained the same. So far so good.

He moved his hand one last time and his palm was now essentially cupping the bottom of Harrison's cheek.

"Take the weight off your left leg for a moment and bend your knee a little please," Jay told him as he waited patiently for him to comply before he applied pressure to this area. This was the most likely place on the younger man's backside that bruises could have formed and Jay needed to take special care with it. He needed Harrison to relax the muscle and release the tension so his hand could also cover the crease where buttock met thigh.

Harrison clenched his jaw tight but did as Garrick asked, shifting his weight, bending his knee, and even going so far as to move it a little bit forward, giving the older man more access. Harrison only wanted to do this once so he was going to do everything within his power to expedite Garrick's examination.

Jay was pleased to see the dark haired man do as he ask without complaint and secretly hoped this was a sign that Harrison and he would be able to begin mending their rocky relationship, or at the very least, be able to interact without turning everything into a battle of wills.

This time when he applied pressure, Harrison bowed his head at the discomfort and Jay could tell this was where he was most sore. Still, it wasn't really a reaction of acute pain. Satisfied that the younger scientist was bruise free, at least on this side, Jay gently patted the area once before taking his hand away to place it at the top of Harrison's right cheek.

"Almost done," he said reassuringly as he started the whole process all over again. Harrison remained silent as Jay's hand made it's way down his backside, pressing into him, checking his reaction each time. When Garrick's palm reached the lowest part of his right cheek, Harrison shifted his weight off that leg and moved it slightly forward without being asked. He felt Garrick give his stomach a couple of light pats in approval before applying pressure to the under curve of his cheek with his right hand. This time Harrison felt a small amount of centralized pain and couldn't help flinching at the touch, sucking in a breath and holding it as he waited for Garrick to let up on that spot.

Jay knew immediately that he had found a bruise. Damn it. He had tried to be so careful.

"Sorry Harrison, but I need to see how bad it is," he warned him as he removed his palm in order to probe the area with his fingers gently. He pressed lightly around the spot and was pleased to find that only one small area made the younger man react, meaning that the bruise was very miniscule. It was remarkable Jay had found it at all.

"It's barely anything," he reassured him as he removed his hand with one final pat to the other man's lower back, taking a step back and releasing Harrison who simply stood there.

"I could have told you that," he mumbled as he crossed his forearms over the top of the wall and leaned heavily against it, waiting for Garrick to take his leave now that he had done what he came up here to do.

"Yes well, forgive me for wanting me to be thorough," Jay stated as he took up position next to him and mirrored his stance against the wall, much to Harrison's disappointment. "Caitlin won't be happy but at least I can assure her I didn't beat you black and blue like she was implying."

Looks like Garrick wasn't finished after all. Harrison clenched his jaw in irritation but refrained from saying anything. Nothing he could say or do would make the older man budge until he wanted to anyways so it was best to simply conserve his energy and wait him out.

"Do you have _any_ idea, how absolutely _terrifying_ Dr. Snow can be?" he commented ruefully and could hear the younger man snort softly in amusement although he still refused to engage. Jay studied him out of the corner of his eye. Harrison was still tense but not like before when he had been all coiled anger and resentment. At the moment he was tolerating Jay's presence, but only just.

Well, some progress was _still_ progress.

They stood like that in silence for what seemed like hours, both lost in their own thoughts as the night grew darker.

"Why were you there?" Harrison suddenly asked, startling Jay somewhat as he had assumed the younger man was planning on ignoring him for the rest of his life. He turned to look at him but Harrison was still staring out at the city.

"What?" he questioned back, confused as to what the scientist was referring to.

"That day at Star Labs. When Detchwood came for me. Why were you there?" Harrison elaborated and realization dawned on Jay. He lowered his eyes to look down at this hands as he rubbed his left palm with his right, considering his response.

"I knew Detchwood had set his eyes on you, that he needed you to make his tech work," Jay explained. "It was only a matter of time before he tried to take you."

"So you were there to stop him from acquiring the 'tool' he needed to perpetuate his plans and to take him down," Harrison said matter of factually, nodding his head as if he had just confirmed something he had thought all along.

Jay stared at him. Is that what he really thought?

"I was there that day, because I wanted to protect my friend…," he said slowly and clearly, the tone of his voice causing Harrison to look up and finally meet his gaze.

Harrison could see the sincerity on the other man's face and he could hear it in his voice. He was surprised at it. He knew Garrick well enough to understand that he always said what he meant. Harrison's thoughts felt jumbled and confused as he tried to understand the meaning behind Garrick's simple statement. Harrison Wells didn't have friends, just colleagues. He was too busy with his work to waste precious energy on social interactions. Yet here Garrick was, telling him he thought him that way. Harrison's mind replayed all the interactions they had, had in the past. All the times Garrick had scolded him for taking a risk in an experiment, complimented him when he made a scientific breakthrough, listened to him prattle on and on about a topic Garrick hadn't the first clue about, but listened to him anyways with an indulgent smile on his face. The examples went on and on but the pieces had already fallen into place for the brilliant physicist. What he shared with Garrick, with Jay, was _indeed_ a friendship, if a somewhat unorthodox one.

Harrison looked down at his own hands, fingers picking aimlessly at some loose concrete. This revelation had caught him off guard. He had been prepared to resent Jay for the useable future for what he had put him through these past few days, but reanalyzing all their past moments through this new lens of 'friendship' put a whole new spin on things. 

"Do you treat all your friends like this?" Harrison finally asked, turning to look at the other man with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Jay smiled back.

"Just the ones that are worth it," he replied and Harrison looked down in uncharacteristic embarrassment. He hadn't quite forgiven Jay for everything he had done but at least now, he thought he might be able to.

"Hate to see what you do to your enemies," he said offhandedly and was slightly surprised by Garrick's heart felt chuckle at his comment.

Once again they fell back into silence, but this time it was more companionable, the tension easing away from both men as they stood side by side.

"You know I was working on something to stop Detchwood…," Harrison said suddenly out of the blue, almost as if had had acted on an impulse. Jay eyed him curiously, head tilted to the side.

"Actually no, I didn't," he commented as he stepped back from the wall to stand at his full height and cross his arms in front of him, turning to face the slim scientist. He could see Harrison watching him from the corner of his eye. "I was under the impression you could care less about that man. Why didn't you say anything before?" Jay questioned him as he watched as Harrison reluctantly straightened away from the wall to meet his gaze head on. Jay had truly thought that Harrison had been blind to Detchwood and the trouble he had been causing, too caught up in one of his many projects. But he had been working on something to bring that man down all along, putting himself in even greater danger if Detchwood ever found out.

"As I recall, you didn't exactly give me a chance before cuffing me and dragging me to another Earth," Harrison sniped back with a little of his former anger. Jay leveled a stern finger at him.

"First off, drop the attitude. I'm not going to rake you over the coals for it, not now anyways, so just unruffle those feathers. Secondly, how far did you get and do you really think it will work?" he said, getting straight to the point as he placed his hands on his hips, waiting.

Harrison had been irritated at Jay's scolding tone at first but that had quickly dissipated at Garrick's genuine interest in his plan to stop Detchwood.

"Pretty far, and yes," he replied back as he mirrored Jay's stance, head held high, his confidence obvious.

Jay held his gaze for a long moment before coming to a decision.

"Well then, maybe it's time we started working _together_ rather then _against_ each other," he stated with just a hint of a smile. He held out his right hand in invitation, palm up. "To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't mind a little help here," he added somewhat sheepishly as he watched the younger man mull over his proposal for several moments, eyes darting from Jay's outstretched hand, up to his eyes then back down to his hand again. Just when Jay was beginning to think Harrison would refuse, the physicist finally raised his slender hand and reached out to grasp Jay's larger one, their fingers wrapping around in a firm handshake.

"Fine, but I'm in charge," Harrison announced firmly as they shook one last time and released hands.

Jay chuckled as he regarded the other man fondly.

"Not on your life," he answered with amusement in his voice as he turned away and started making his way back to the rooftop exit. "Come along Dr. Wells," he threw over his shoulder, indicating Harrison should start walking with a one fingered gesture.

Harrison opened his mouth to argue but quickly closed it again, shutting his eyes briefly in defeat before falling in step behind him, the movement of his slacks against his sore rear reminded him that it would probably be best to let Garrick have this one for now.

"At least we'll be heading back now," Harrison mumbled as he followed Jay, his mind already drawing up a list of things he needed in order to finish his portable virus. Finally he was getting what he wanted. Garrick was going to take him home, Harrison would finish his device and then they would…

"Nope, you're gonna do all your work right here," Jay explained matter of factually over his shoulder.

"Wait, what?!"


End file.
